The Hindu : Kerala News : Migrants, tenants come under close watch Law & order

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Saturday, Sep 29, 2007
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Kerala

Kerala

Migrants, tenants come under close watch Law & order

The police are collecting details of the migrant population in the city in their bid to curb crime, says Biju Govind.

To curb crime, the police have started clamping down on gangs either from other districts in the State or elsewhere operating in the city and its suburbs.

As the first step, the police have started profiling all those from outside.

The beat police will collect details of those who have taken houses and flats on rent in residential colonies, says City Police Commissioner Balram Kumar Upadhyay.

Last week, the police asked residents to say within a week if they had rented out their houses and flats. If so, they should give details of the tenants to the police station in their limits.

The response was poor, and hence, the police have initiated action on their own. With the help of Canara Bank, the police have printed forms to enter details of the tenants, Mr. Upadhyay says.

The information will help to keep a tab on those from outside the district. In future, residents will have to submit details of their tenants, he says.

Housing colony representatives, residents’ association and neighbourhood groups should alert the police to the presence of strangers, those evoking suspicion and construction workers staying in makeshift tents and huts in their locality, Mr. Upadhyay says.

Contractors have been asked to submit photographs and details of migrant labourers employed by them. Each police station will maintain a record of the migrant population.

The population of the city is 4.5 lakh, and the floating population ranges from 50,000 to 75,000 at a time. Over 30 per cent of the two-lakh labour force in the city are from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal.

Since the city police also have jurisdiction over some grama panchayat areas adjoining the city, such as Beypore, Kunnamangalam and Mavoor, the total population in their limits is around 10 lakh.

Mr. Upadhyay says that nomads from neighbouring States are involved in at least half the cases of theft and burglary. Labourers from Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Karnataka have either migrated to the city in search of jobs or been brought by building contractors in large numbers.

A few Tamil migrants were arrested on the charge of theft a fortnight ago. Some of those involved in burglaries are from other districts of the State, the police say.

A person from Thiruvananthapuram district was arrested in connection with the theft of Rs. 8 lakh from a house. Similarly, two persons from Perambra, 50 km from the city, were arrested on charges of housebreaking at Chevayur, Mr. Upadhyay says.

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