West TN cops plan plaint boxes to help residents

Speaking to newspersons on Thursday, K Periaiah, Inspector General of Police, West Zone, said, “Complaint boxes are being installed in villages in all the eight districts of the West Zone. The villagers can drop complaints and grievances in the boxes installed in public places in the villages. A police official will be deputed in each of the villages to check those boxes and sort out the grievances.”

The IG said that those who wish to remain anonymous but want their grievance to be sorted can drop their complaints in the box. “This new concept will help strengthen policing. It would also be convenient for the villagers as they won’t have to come all the way to the police station to lodge a complaint. Instead, the police will contact them and sort out their problems,” he said.

The West Zone comprises of Coimbatore, Nilgiris, Tirupur, Erode, Salem, Namakkal, Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri districts.

The villagers can also report issues like gambling, movement of suspicious persons or any other issues, he said. “Not just complaints that requires police intervention, but, the villagers can also bring to notice civic issues like poor drinking water facilities, battered roads and other problems,” added the IG.

“Once in a week, the respective station inspectors will also convene a meeting with the villagers and their grievances will be addressed,” the IG said. He further added that a data base was being created on the elderly people living alone under the ‘Hello Senior’ project in the Western region to provide them security.

“Over 4,000 elderly persons are expected to be living alone in the eight districts. Besides ensuring their safety, the police will also conduct a check to know whether the workers employed by them are of good nature,” said Periaiah.