Southern States - Andhra Pradesh-Hyderabad   

eSeva centre sans armed security

By Marri Ramu

HYDERABAD DEC. 27. He continues to guard the eSeva centre without a lathi or a firearm. A day after unidentified persons looted Rs. 1.62 lakhs in cash at gunpoint from the Santoshnagar eSeva centre, the same unarmed and frail watchman, Sk. Kasim, is looking after the security.

Even as the police expressed concern over the vulnerability of eSeva centres from the point of property offences, several of them continue to be without armed security guards. It is not the first time that an eSeva centre was looted. On January 16 this year, two masked persons barged into the Malakpet eSeva centre, collected Rs.2.6 lakhs by intimidating the staff with firearms and walked away.

After this robbery, officials concerned deployed an armed security guard at Malakpet eSeva centre. Surprisingly, no such changes were made at Santoshnagar eSeva centre bringing the present security arrangements at eSeva centres into sharp focus. Though watchmen were deployed at all the centres, a majority of them were not provided weapons.

Interestingly, Mr. Kasim earlier worked at Malakpet eSeva centre when it was robbed. "I was on night duty that day and reached office minutes after the robbers fled. However, here at Santoshnagar, I was targeted by intruders," he said. Pleading ignorance about the two offences, he said that he was basically into tailoring and secured the job in Marshal Security Services a couple of years ago.

Asked if he was confident of providing protection without a weapon, he remarked, "I'll try my best." Daily collection of money at eSeva centres was in the range of Rs.5 lakhs to Rs. 10 lakhs. When the two unidentified persons raided the Santoshnagar eSeva centre, Rs.3.6 lakhs was already stored in the locker. "It was lucky that robbers failed to notice the locker. Otherwise, that money too would have been lost," an employee said.

The South Zone DCP, Harish Kumar Guptha, told that soon the police would write to all the shops, establishments, centres and offices where cash transactions took place on a large scale, to take adequate security measures. "Police cannot be present at all places all the time. Absence of professional guards amounts to inviting trouble", he remarked.

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