Villagers’ determination creates a record of sorts

Khanapur(Warangal Rural): Khanapur, 190 km northeast of Hyderabad, has on Friday created a record of sorts by becoming the first mandal in Telangana to beam 24X7 live pictures of all its villages to the police. Thanks to the concerted effort of the people in the mandal who made it possible.

What is interesting is that although police have been promoting the installation of closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras involving communities in all villages as part of Nenu Saitham programme, the residents of nine panchayats in Khanapur mandal have come forward voluntarily to bring their villages under the CCTV camera surveillance.

They got 88 CCTV cameras installed at all vantagepoints covering every nook and corner of all villages in the mandal. The feed provided by these CCTV cameras has been directed to the Khanapur Police Station where the authorities had set up a command control room to keep an eagle eye on villages.

Talking to The Hans India, Khanapur Sarpanch Thakkallapally Ramesh said: “It’s a concerted effort. Encouraged by our Sub Inspector M Abhinav, we have convened a meeting of people’s representatives of the mandal and resolved to take up the installation of CCTV cameras. Alone in mandal headquarters, we have installed 20 cameras that cost us Rs 3 lakh shared by one and all voluntarily.” 
 
It may be noted here that there are 16,000-odd CCTV cameras installed in public places in addition to 2,000-odd by the individuals and business establishments in Warangal Police Commissionerate limits. Thanks to the CCTV - Nenu Saitham that sensitised individuals, residents and business establishments to go for CCTV cameras on their premises helping the police in reducing the crime rate.

“In crime situations, the most pronounced impact of the CCTV cameras is visible, Commissioner of Police V Ravinder told The Hans India, who inaugurated the command control room in Khanapur on Friday. He commended the people of the mandal for coming forward voluntarily to be part of government’s efforts to bring down the crime rate in the State.

All those smart policing initiatives such as petition management system being implemented in Hyderabad will also be introduced in Warangal Police Commissionerate, the CP said.Meanwhile, efforts are on to set up a third-party call centre for gathering citizens’ feedback, in which people who approach the police rate the police station based on their satisfaction levels, it’s learnt.