To help victims of accidents and natural disasters, the Vellore district police have opened outposts on some stretches of the Bengaluru Highway.
The six-lane highway has a wide bitumen carriageway, hemmed in by steel railings, and the two-way service lanes all along Ranipet, Vellore and Tirupattur districts. The highway is also dotted with reflectors and signboards for underpasses and ‘U’ turns.
But it lacks a better surveillance system. The police and highway patrols are mostly stationed at toll plazas and inter-State checkpoints. “The affected persons can reach the police booths in case of emergencies. They will work round the clock,” Superintendent of Police S. Selvakumar told The Hindu.
In the first phase, five outposts have been opened between Perumugai and Pallikonda, a distance of 32 km. These are villages that connect Ranipet and Tirupattur districts with Vellore.
Each booth has a policeman with a walkie-talkie, a CCTV camera and a first-aid kit.
The policemen will work in three shifts and alert the control room at the office of Superintendent of Police to emergencies.
More to come
The Ranipet district police have proposed to open 18 booths, including in such key areas as Wallajah, Arcot, Arakkonam and Ratnagiri.
In Tirupattur, which borders Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, such booths will come up in Ambur, Vanniyambadi and Jolarpet, the police said.
