Tamil Nadu: TDP government gives priority to police welfare and women safety

VIJAYAWADA: Asserting that eradication of ganja, women’s safety, police recruitment and welfare are the four main issues that the TDP government is focused, Minister for Home Affairs and Disaster Management Vangalapudi Anitha slammed the previous YSRC regime for neglecting the improvement of infrastructure of police department in the last five years.

Anitha held a review meeting with Director General of Police Ch Dwaraka Tirumala Rao, Additional DGP (Law and Order) Shankha Bratha Bagchi and other officials at the State police headquarters in Mangalagiri on Thursday.

Addressing the media on the occasion, Anitha expressed her shock over the previous government’s failure in providing minimum infrastructure to the police department such as modernisation of police stations.

“In my observation since I took charge as Home Minister, I noticed that the police department was neglected in the past five years and the YSRC government used police department only for security purposes and to arrest the Opposition leaders. The TDP government is committed to bring back the glory of the police department, she averred.

“Had the previous government given a thought to providing infrastructure, police welfare and amenities in the five years, we should not have faced these many problems,” she observed.

Anitha further found fault with the previous government for not improving police infrastructure despite the sanctioning of Central funds for setting up a Greyhounds Training Academy and Police Academy in the State.

“With the State government’s inactiveness in utilising the Central funds, the projects remained in abeyance. We will try to bring those projects back with the help of the Central government,” the Home Minister asserted.

Anitha further clarified that the TDP government led by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is not interested in vindictive politics and focused on State’s development in all fields. “Red book is for those police officers who foisted false cases against TDP leaders and violated rules on the directions of YSRC leaders. We are preparing a 100-day action plan to control ganja and other narcotic substances effectively in the State. A dedicated toll-free number will be provided soon for ganja related enforcement activities,” Anitha said.

She criticised Jagan for pledging the office of police commissioner in Visakhapatnam to a private bank and expressed her doubt that many other government offices might have been pledged. “Instead of protecting government offices and lands, the previous government pledged the lands and misappropriated them. Also, we will take a decision on 15,000 plus village and ward Mahila police appointed by the previous government,” she added