Zero-tolerance on drugs and other illegal activities, nobody will be spared
New Mangaluru Police Commissioner warns Rowdies in an interview with Vartha Bharati
Mangaluru: IPS Officer Dr. Harsha PS, took charge as the new Commissioner of Mangaluru Police on Friday, August 9 after his predecessor Sandeep Patil was transferred to Bengaluru as the Joint Commissioner of city’s crime department.
Having served in the Dakshina Kannada more than a decade back as the Assistant Superintendent of Police in Puttur, Dr. Harsha says he is much familiar with the people of the District and knows how things work in Coastal Karnataka.
Vartha Bharati Sub-editor Ismail Zaorez recently caught up with the incoming officer for an exclusive interview at his office, wherein he spoke on a range of topics and elaborated on his plans as the City's Commissioner of Police.
Excerpts from the interview:
What are your views about Mangaluru?
Mangaluru is one of the most cosmopolitan, globally relevant and fast-growing city of India. It is also a pride of Karnataka with very rich cultural roots. It’s been a hub of education and one of very sound health cities with a history of having accommodated people of all religions and cultures.
What will be your priorities as the Commissioner of Mangaluru City Police?
The priority will be to take policing closer to the people here and to make it people-friendly. We will straightaway work towards strengthening the beat system at the police stations. We will be actively collaborating with various groups of citizens, religious leaders and influencers of the society to pinpoint the problems of citizens and how they can be tackled. Second priority will be zero tolerance about any goondaism which pose a threat to the tranquility of the society. Also, we will deal with any illegal activities strictly. Mangaluru is a fast-growing city, so traffic is also a priority, and we are working on bringing in new methods through which we can regulate seamless and congestion-free traffic in the city.
Traffic and Drugs are two of the biggest problems the city is currently facing. How are you planning to deal with it?
In any developing city where there are students and migrant population, drugs abuse and substance abuse will be there. It causes a lot of inconvenience to the administration and Mangaluru is no different. I have been informed about this problem. We have planned a few programs to deal with it. We will collaborate with individuals and educational institutions and we will continuously work towards uprooting the source and peddlers from the city. There will be zero tolerance in this regard. Those who are involved in peddling and consumption of drugs, they better refrain from such activities, otherwise, we will not spare anybody.
Apart from Drugs and Traffic, Mangaluru also has a tag of being ‘Communally Sensitive’ city. What are your views about it?
Coastal Karnataka has been a house to several cultures and various lifestyles, so I will not call it communally sensitive. It’s a fact that people of various cultures, religions, ethnicity have been staying in this region. If you look at it, Dakshina Kannada has been an ambassador to the communal harmony and co-existence of several cultures, religions and ethnicity. There have been incidents where the communal harmony and peace of the region have been put to test but law enforcement machinery will take very firm legal action against anybody trying to medal with communal harmony. Again, those will be isolated incidents, if you look at bigger picture people here have been co-existing very peacefully over the years. We will work in collaboration with the religious representatives to ensure peace, harmony in the region.
Your message to the people of Mangaluru.
Mangaluru city can be made much more public friendly only when the people will come together with the police department. Policing is an activity that can effectively work when the people are involved and are cooperating with the Police department. So I want to assure people that the department is for people and will come to their aid whenever there is a need. Whatever be the problem the department will be ready to offer any help to the people. The only appeal to the people is to cooperate with us and not sensationalize issues.
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Elephant calf brought from Bijnor kept under care at Pilibhit Tiger Reserve
Pilibhit (PTI): A 19-day-old elephant calf, brought from Bijnor, was placed under care at the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (PTR) on Sunday, an official said and added that the calf got separated from its mother in the forest area of Bijnor.
The calf was born on December 2 in the Bijnor forest area and got separated from its mother shortly after birth, the official said.
The forest department made several attempts to reunite it with its mother, but without any success. To ensure the calf's safety and better care, it was decided to transfer it to the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve on the instructions of senior officials.
On Saturday, Deputy Director Manish Singh received the calf. Special arrangements have been made in the reserve for its care. It has been kept in a safe and clean environment to provide it with a natural setting and protect it from external noise and disturbances.
Singh told reporters that raising an 19-day-old calf is challenging.
It requires a special diet as a substitute for mother's milk and constant monitoring.
He said a special team has been formed to provide 24-hour care. Since the calf is very young, it is being cared for like a newborn baby.
According to Singh, the primary responsibility for monitoring the calf's health has been entrusted to PTR's veterinarian, Dr Daksh Gangwar. Under his supervision, a complete record of the calf's health checkups, diet, and body temperature is being maintained. The team is ensuring that the calf does not contract any infection.
