Reporter’s Diary: Control room cops and a close shave for all

When their counterparts were busy protecting people on the streets on the day Cyclone Vardah hit Chennai, a few policemen who were at the wireless mike sets, receiving and providing directions to the entire city police force at the control room had a miraculous escape from a glass panel, that just collapsed in the force of the wind. 

The cops escaped by a whisker as they just got up to have a cup of tea on the next table and a huge glass panel outside the control room flew in and crashed on the table where the mike sets were kept. “They were so lucky to escape unhurt. We were all on duty round-the-clock during Vardah and if something happened to our men, it would have been a very bad day for the city police,” an officer was heard saying.

Everyone expected the wind to hit from the east but on the contrary, the wind hit from the west direction. The officials were glued on to their mike sets till then and fortunately the glass panel collapsed when they just moved off the table. Else, the city police control room could have turned into a casualty room.