Good Samaritans Helping the Police Dept Honored on Police Commissioner’s 100th Phone-In-Programme
Mangaluru: The Phone-In-Programme initiated by the then Police Commissioner P S Chandrashekar on 5-8-2016, during which 44 P-I-P were conducted under His tenure, completed 100th Phone-In-Programme today, 4 December 2019 under the tenure of present Police Commissioner T R Suresh, where until today after he took charge has conducted 54 P-I-P. To date, 2242 calls were received during the past 99 phone-in-programmes, out of which 1584 were complaints related to traffic issues, 359 related to law and order, and 399 related to various other civic issues- and most of them were handled by the police in rectifying the issues.
During today’s 100th phone-in-programme a bevy of Good Samaritans from the Traffic Warden, Police Department and citizens were honored for their service and help rendered to the police department in various capacities. Among the persons honored were 96-year-old Joe Gonsalves-the Chief Traffic Warden, NRI retired after 44 years of service in USA 74-year-old Joe D’souza; Traffic Warden Francis Maxim Moras among few others. Being a nonagenarian, 96 year old Joe Gonsalves, has been the backbone of the Traffic Warden, and as a Chief Warden has been instrumental in controlling the traffic menace in the City, with the help of his colleagues.
Yet another person honored during the occasion was retired NRI after working 44 years in USA and come down for good to his hometown is 74-years-old Joe D’souza, a ardent fan of Mangalorean.com, and a social worker. While many retires spend their hard earned money vacationing in different destinations around the nation and world, but simple, courteous and still hard working, Joe D’souza has been a “Handyman” or “SOS” man for the various traffic police departments in the City, either helping them to fix the traffic signs, fix faulty electrical or sanitary problems, help the police department in other petty jobs etc- and it was the right thing to do in honoring this Good Samaritan by the Police Department comprising of Police Commissioner, DCP, ACP and other ranking police officers and constables. And for that matter, this grey haired senior citizen happens to be my elder brother- and I feel proud of his community service that he is rendering to the society in his retired life.
The Good Samaritans were honored with a Shawl, flower bouquet, and a memento by the Police Commissioner T R Suresh, along with DCP (Law and Order) Hanumantharaya; DCP ( Crime and Traffic) Ms Uma Prashanth; ACP-Traffic Sub Division M Manjunath Shetty; MCC Commissioner Mohammed Nazeer; RTO In-Charge John Misquith; and KSRTC Divisional Commissioner Deepak Kumar. Speaking on the occasion Police Commissioner T R Suresh said, “I am happy to take forward the Phone-In- Programme initiated by my predecessor Chandrashekar, and this programme has been very effective in understanding the traffic and civic issues faced by the citizens, and we obliged them by rectifying most of them, while others will be solved soon after going through proper procedures. I am also thankful to all these these citizens whom we honored today, who had played an vital and important role in helping our department. My sincere thanks to the media people for always supporting us and reaching us to the public through electronic and print media. Let’s work hand in hand to make this City a harmonious and peaceful City”.
A few prize winning students in various contests conducted by the police department were presented with prizes on the occasion. MCC Commissioner Mohammed Nazeer also spoke and assured that MCC will look into the street vendors menace, parking issues, footpath inconveniences caused to the pedestrians etc, and asked the citizens to cooperate with MCC in solving the civic issues. It was also suggested that MCC and Police authorities should work in unity and communicate well in solving many of the traffic and civic issues. DCP Uma Prashanth proposed the vote of thanks, following which the media persons were treated with a gift and sumptuous lunch.
100TH POLICE COMMISSIONER PHONE-IN-PROGRAMME :
Most of the complaints received over the phone during the 100th Phone-In-Programme were basically the same that were asked on the inaugural Phone-In-Programme held on 15-8-2016 when Police Commissioner Chandrashekar was at the helm then, and today what the present Police Commissioner T R Suresh answered the calls ranged from haphazard parking, illegal street vendors, bus conductors not issuing tickets, request for road humps, rash riding by two wheeler riders and rash driving by bus drivers, drug menace, trucks spilling fish water waste on roads, indecent training by women employed at Zumba fitness centres, etc. This is like a rewinding a DVD and watching it again?
Complaints that poured in today were- Road humps to be installed near Ballabagh; People near Vishwa Bhavan on K S Rao road consume fresh fruit juice standing near the road side, thus causing inconveniences to pedestrians; work of the Clock Tower going on a slow pace which is creating traffic snarls; footpaths near Bejai market covered with soil and very inconvenient to walk on; bus conductors not issuing tickets, and couple of buses plying on the road are over 15 years old; need to have frequent interaction meeting between the public and police so that ongoing and constant happening problems could be solved; ample aprking should be provided inside few of the private hospitals in the city which is creating lots of hardship for hospital visitors; that Zumba fitness centres are hiring females to train men indecently;
Drug menace is still on and police have been slow in cracking it down; need humps near New Chitra furniture store, where four roads join; redimix trucks spilling redimix cement on the road causing safety hazard for two-wheelers; trucks hauling fish spilling fish waste water on the roads; some of the road humps which are worn out need to be painted; and many more. Police Commissioner T R Suresh in reply assured that he will look into their complaints, and depute his police force to solve the issues in the nearest future. Along with the Police Commissioner TR Suresh during the Phone-In-Programme on the dais were- DCP (Law and Order) Hanumantharaya; DCP ( Crime and Traffic) Ms Uma Prashanth; and KSRTC Divisional Commissioner Deepak Kumar.