Pics: Abhijith N Kolpe
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru (ANK)
Mangaluru, Dec 3: Home minister Basavaraj Bommai inaugurated residential apartments worth Rs 21.63 crore under police housing scheme for 112 police constables here at Mangaluru sub division in Panambur on Thursday December 3.
Addressing the gathering, home minister Basavaraj Bommai said, "I congratulate all the 112 police constables on their new houses. In the state, 51 percent of police have been provided with houses. Our aim is to reach 75 percent. The police housing scheme 2025 is sanctioned. In the next five years, we will construct 11,000 houses which will cover 60 percent of providing houses to the police personnel."
“We have asked for land identification from all the police commissionerate. Once it is done in the first phase, we will construct the houses. There is demand of 192 houses, in which 72 houses will be constructed in the land allotted and rest will be sanctioned once the land is identified.
“Mangaluru is a centre for police and a fast growing city in the state. The coastal region is in forefront in education and healthcare facilities and people are more enterprising. We are chalking out a plan for overall development which includes infrastructure, recruitment, training, KSRP battalion and also putting up a master plan for a traffic system for areas under corporation limits which will be considered in the budget.
"Coastal police needs to be strengthened by providing high speed boats to restrain illegal movements. We have to improve night beat system as we all know terrorists and anti-nationals want to declare themselves through graffiti writing. It can be seen in Kashmir, Iraq and Iran.
"There are a lot of challenges the police has to face like control drugs, cybercrime, bank fraud among others. We have seen increased drug seizure in the last ten months which is more than the last decade. We will also take up to conduct anti-drug awareness movement in educational institutions," he said.
Police commissioner Vikash Kumar Vikas said, "There was a need of having a residential apartment for the policemen. We have received more than 112 applications, in which 112 policemen were allotted houses based upon seniority. The requirements of houses for policemen have been submitted to the DGP and police housing corporation. As police housing scheme is extended till 2025, there is requirement of 200 houses, in which 72 are approved. We will look into the availability of the land for the construction of the houses."
DCP crime and traffic Vinay Goankar welcomed the gathering, DCP law and order Hariram rendered the vote of thanks.
District in-charge minister Kota Srinivas Poojary, Mangaluru north MLA Dr Bharath Y Shetty and others were present.
Graffiti row
When asked about graffiti case, home minister Basavaraj Bommai speaking to media said, "I have directed the police commissioner for the immediate arrest of the culprit behind the graffiti writing in Mangaluru. As directed, the commissioner has formed teams to trace the culprit and a lot of progress is seen and culprit will soon be arrested. To control such untoward incidents, we have decided to improve night beat and deploy senior officers like DCP during the nights especially during the weekends. We will be discussing with the corporation on identifying the dark spots and deploying police at those places," he said.
When asked about the non-functioning of CCTV cameras, Bommai said, "It has come to my notice the non-functioning of CCTV cameras. In other corporations, under the Smart City project, we have installed CCTVs, similarly under Mangaluru corporation limits, 1,200 CCTV will be installed at important and critical spots.”