An earnest cop’s noble act

The story of crumbling and sorely lacking infrastructure in the country’s rural schools is a depressingly familiar story. But one police station in Mahbubnagar district has shown what kind of a difference caring authorities can make.

As part of a village adoption programme, a team from the Adakkal police station has transformed a primary school in the village of Katavaram, giving its young children a clean, well-lit and comfortable place in which to they can study without any disturbance.

A year ago, the school had a strength of 42 students, and a building that was cramped and overcrowded as the Anganwadi centre, the Mahila mandal office and the school worked from a single building.

With the lack of space turning into a growing problem, local authorities asked Dhana Laxmi, the head of the school to shift the school. Unfortunately for everyone involved, the proposed new building was in a dilapidated state. Not even drinking water and toilet facilities were available here.

Faced with what seemed like an insurmountable task, Laxmi shared her school’s problems during a ‘community outreach’ programme and received support from an unexpected direction.

“Katavaram falls under Addakal Police Station limits, and the SHO of this police station, Srinivas, is a spirited young officer. He has gone to great lengths in transforming the primary school in the village. With his team of dedicated constables, he roped in support from villagers, a non-profit organisation (Caring Hands) and lot of good will,” a press release from the Mahbubnagar police states.

The police laid a 100-metre gravel road and a drinking water pipeline to the school and also bought and installed an overhead tank for the school. Together with the local authorities, they also brought electricity to the new building, and completed pending construction of a compound wall and additional classrooms, and built toilets for students and teachers.

They even painted all the school walls, besides planting 250 saplings in the school’s compound. SHO Srinivas also reportedly enrolled his three-year-old daughter Vrishala in the same school. On Saturday, Mahbubnagar Superintendent of Police, Rema Rajeshwari, visited the transformed school building and lauded the efforts of the Addakal police.

The release from the police stated that the school has 87 students today, of which 32 left private schools to enrol here. Three months ago, the school was also selected as a ‘Swachh Pathashala’. Now the school is all spic and span and children are a happy lot, thanks to the initiatives taken by a young and sincere police officer. (www.thenewsminute.com)