The Hindu : Kerala / Kochi News : Residents’ association meetings to be spread out

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Residents’ association meetings to be spread out

Staff Reporter

Ernakulam rural district also comes alive in community policing

KOCHI: The monthly meetings of the Police Residents’ Associations Initiative in District Ernakulam (PRIDE) will be moving out to regions to increase the participation of local residents associations.

As of now, the meetings are held at the city centre. It has now been decided to hold these meetings at different venues, starting with Fort Kochi next month. Also, the PRIDE meeting held at Kerala Hotel and Restaurants Association hall here on Saturday, decided to make Circle Inspector-level meeting compulsory and resolve the local issues in these meetings.

Only issues of general interest will be taken up at the monthly PRIDE meeting from now onwards.

City Police Commissioner Manoj Abraham, Deputy City Police Commissioner T. Vikram and Ernakulam District Residents Association Apex Council (EDRAAC) president P. Rangadasa Prabhu attended the meeting.

More than 150 representatives of EDRAAC were also present.

A.R.S. Vadhyar of Yasoram Builders made a presentation about cultivating vegetables on terraces of buildings. Awards have also been instituted for best vegetable garden on terrace to promote the practice among residents of the city.

The meeting also decided to intensify the drive against terrorism, harassment of women and against use of drugs and liquor.

The project to start a de-addiction centre, run by the City Police, at West Kochi will be announced at the fourth anniversary meeting of PRIDE, to be held in December.

The mega meeting will also witness the formal declaration of the Limca Records being accorded to PRIDE for preparing the largest pookalam (floral carpet) and maximum number of pookalams.

The competition organised by PRIDE at Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium during this Onam had 365 floral carpets, beating the previous record of 346.

The other record-setting achievement was the 12,000 sq.ft. floral carpet depicting the message of Janamaitri Suraksha Paddhati, the community policing drive, using five tonnes of flowers.

Rural district meeting

Following the suit of PRIDE, the residents’ associations in the rural district have also decided to streamline their interaction with the police.

At the meeting held at Indian Medical Association Hall, Aluva, on Saturday, P. Vijayan, Superintendent of Police, Ernakulam Rural, explained the objectives of the meeting.

P.K. Gopalakrishnan, general secretary, EDRAAC, Padmashri award winner Dr. Tony Fernandez and N. Sivadas, DySP, Special Branch, were present.

More than 150 representatives of residents’ associations participated.

It was decided to hold meetings on every second Saturday of the month. Police officers will lead the awareness classes against terrorism. A directory featuring telephone numbers of office-bearers of residents associations and police officers concerned will soon be published.

The system to collect information of visitors to pilgrimage centres like Chottanikkara, which has now become defunct, will be revived after complaints of the lodging facilities in nearby areas being misused for anti-social activities.

Meetings

Meetings will also be held at Aluva, Muvattupuzha and Perumbavoor regions to bring in participation of residents associations to Santhwanam – the pain and palliative care programme.

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