Police unaware of deadline, yet to file report on senior citizens

By Pradeep Gupta (Exclusive)

The Maharashtra government is spending crores of rupees on modernization of the police department in order that they can accomplish their tasks smoothly. But the police work itself is slow and shoddy. After a spurt in cases of murder of senior citizens, Commissioner of Police D. Sivanandhan had issued instructions to all police stations to make a report of the number of senior citizen living in their jurisdiction. The report was to be submitted to the DCP Operation at the CP’s office by July 6.

In the last six months, nine senior citizens were murdered. The CP had asked local police stations officials to personally visit the homes of the senior citizens, meet them and record all their details. The shocking fact is that still none of the local DCPs has submitted this report to the police headquarters as yet.

The circular has also asked the local police to verify the characters of the vendors like milkmen, newspaper vendors, drivers, domestic helps, etc of the senior citizens and if possible, with photographs and submit the same to the police headquarters. The circular issued to all the police stations has asked the police stations to record the contact numbers of the neighbours of the senior citizens to help them in times of emergency.

The police chief has asked the police stations to provide all the details handy with the Beat Marshals and order them to visit the senior citizens at least once in a week. The senior citizens have also to be informed about the helpline numbers 103 and 1090.

The local police stations have been ordered to arrange a meeting with all the housing society officials and if possible to convince them to install CCTVs for surveillance and to also keep a record of all the visitors to their societies, with the vehicles numbers of the visitors. The societies have been advised to install bio-metric system too.

The senior police inspectors has been asked to keep a vigil against dacoits, thieves, gangsters in their areas who have previous records of crimes in the last five years, through their detection staff. In addition to this, they have been asked to act against those found roaming suspiciously in the localities where senior citizens live.

Meanwhile Sivanandhan told reporters, "It is our main priority to provide security to senior citizens with a fearless atmosphere and we are doing all our best to minimize crime in the city."

More than 14 days after the deadline, DCP officials have failed to submit the report to the DCP operation in police headquarters. Shockingly, when contacted, Amar Jadhav, DCP Operation, was surprised and said, “I have to check about such a circular.”

Indian politician should learn a lesson from US Secreatary, Hillary Clinton

By Pradeep Gupta

Indian politicians, who insist on top security personnel anywhere they go, should learn a lesson from US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who has specially insisted that such heavy security should not be deployed at the Taj, where she is staying during her visit to India.

Sources from Taj security told on condition of anonymity, that before her arrival in India, she had specifically informed them through the US Consulate not to deploy high security, despite the various onerous possibilities in the wake of the recent terror strikes.

However, the state government, which is already on high alert following intelligence reports, does not want to take any risk. They have taken special measures for her security.

Clinton, who arrived yesterday in the city, is staying at room number 110 on the 11th floor of the Taj, where she will stay for three days.

The police and consulate staff will not allow people on that floor, not even hotel staff, without their permission. The surrounding area will be cordoned off by uniformed police, and Crime Branch and State Intelligence staff will keep watch.
Clinton will visit several places, including St. Xavier’s College, besides attending a social programme arranged by the city-based SEVA organization. Today, she will first offer tribute to the 26/11 victims after which she will attend a meet with businessmen, including Ratan Tata.

Police officials have said that anyone found loitering around the area would be hauled off for interrogation.

Rakesh Maria, Joint Commissioner, Crime, said “Police in plain clothes will keep watch on the hotel from vantage points.”

Railways need more Samaritans! Sameer Zaveri, a rail accident victim, has been saving lives time and again on the railway tracks

By Pradeep Gupta

Understandably, there was a huge emotional outcry for those who are died in the terror attacks in Mumbai, but there is another space where similarly gory deaths occur, but the news doesn’t make the headlines. Terrorism, and fighting it, is big on the international agenda, but there is no agency fighting for the poor passengers of Mumbai’s suburban local trains where, on an average, 15 people lose their lives daily.

Mumbai’s population of around 1.25 crore has not brought out even one single person to fight for these innocent victims of Mumbai’s lifeline, except a handicapped good Samaritan, Sameer Zaveri. A safe and secure journey for the 75 lakh passengers is the foremost on his mind.

Sameer Zaveri, has been on a special mission of saving lives for over a decade. Improving the security and the safety of passengers has till date saved over 5,500 lives by sending the accident victims on the tracks to the nearest hospital in time. However, as per the records, around 5,000 commuters die every year in different accidents on the tracks of Mumbai.

According to Sameer, Mumbai attracts people from every nook and corner of the world for employment and livelihood. They all find the train as the cheapest and fastest mode of transport to reach their work destination. While commuting in the crowded trains, some of them die after falling while boarding or falling off running trains, getting hit by poles while hanging outside the doorways, getting run over while crossing tracks, etc. Over 70 per cent of those injured take their last breath on the platforms, thanks to the inhuman attitude of the railway officials, who don’t feel any need to follow the rules to save lives.

There have been numerous incidents when injured passengers’ have had to wait for as much as two hours just to get a stretcher and ambulance to take them to the hospital. In many cases, the dead bodies have remained on the tracks for hours with trains passing repeatedly over them. In the absence of ambulances and coolies, the bodies have to be taken on hand carts. The GRP officials say that they are not at fault as they are not provided with the necessary facilities from the railway department. They don’t even get the amount of Rs.750 per dead passenger from the railways, so they have to pay for the expenses of taking the dead to hospital and completing the last rituals from their own funds.

Recently, Justice Swatantrakumar of the Mumbai High Court passed an order, while hearing the petition filed by Sameer Jhaveri, advising the railway authorities to start a pilot project at Dadar station, keeping an ambulance as well as two doctors for their treatment on standby.

Sameer says that the Mumbai police have their own website to display the pictures of unidentified dead bodies, so that relatives of the victims have at least a chance to claim and finish the last rites of their dear ones. The railway department however doesn’t have any such facility. Sameer has written to the railway administration requesting that it create a website to display pictures of rail victims. Sameer has also filed a petition for the same in the High Court.

A K Sharma, Government Railway Police Commissioner, said, “I cannot make any comment on the railway department but yes, following golden hour rules can definitely save many lives. Sameer Zaveri’s job is really commendable as he is fighting for the cause of the general public. We need more of such people.”

Story Of Sameer Zaveri...

At the age of 18, Sameer lost his legs after being hit by a train while crossing the tracks at Borivli in the absence of a Foot Over Bridge. Two unidentified people took him to the hospital and his life was saved. However, though he couldn’t meet those people again in his life, he realized that without their help he wouldn’t be alive.

As others had saved his life, he decided to save others’ lives. After his recovery he was provided with the Jaipur foot to walk. Later on, he also started visiting hospitals and distributing the artificial feet to them. Till now he has distributed over 5,500 such artificial feet to accident victims.

His efforts have been noticed by various NGOs and he has been awarded the Best Samaj Sevak Award by the former Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh. He has been sent to various countries by the Lions’ Club to address social service organizations. He has also shared stages with several business tycoons like Mukesh Ambani, Kumar Magalam Birla and Ratan Tata too.