Several people in flood-affected areas are still hesitating to return to their homes. To protect such locked houses, especially in Kotturpuram, the Mylapore police have roped in volunteers to assist in patrol work.
Houses remain abandoned in areas including Chitra Nagar, Ranjith Road, Marudhai Avenue, Kottur Garden, Sri Nagar Colony, LDG Colony and Thandayudhapani Street.
About 40 volunteers, mostly college students, patrolled the streets with police officials from midnight to early morning for the past two days.
A. Aravind Kumar, a final-year engineering college student, was one of them. “It was a good experience to work with the police and I patrolled stretches like Ranjith Road,” he said. Volunteers were first given a briefing about methods of crime prevention. V. Balakrishnan, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mylapore, said: “We wanted to use the services of volunteers to support the police, who are also involved in flood relief.”
Residents of areas like Mudichur, Kodambakkam, West Mambalam and Perangulathur, also wanted such patrol services in their areas.
