Women’s safety paramount, says KCR
Hyderabad: Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao was in his elements while speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the Telangana State Police Integrated Command and Control Centre here on Thursday.
From giving the credit for the entire concept to Director-General of Police M Mahender Reddy to praising the manner in which the police maintained law and order in the State and in between, asking to take women’s safety to a level where women could walk without fear on the streets at any time, Rao’s speech was also laced with examples from his experiences with different bureaucrats and their initiatives.
Recalling his visit to Singapore a few years ago, the Chief Minister said he was asked by an official there whether it was possible for women to move freely on the streets past midnight in Telangana, as it was in Singapore. “We conducted a small experiment and sent a woman IAS officer who was with us outside. She came back safely. The same level of safety is what we want to see in Telangana. We will achieve that surely,” he said.
The role of former bureaucrats
Remembering that DGP M Mahender Reddy would retire in December, Rao said Reddy’s role in the administration was far from over. “We will not allow you to go anywhere. You will be with us. You might change your uniform, but your services have to continue,” he said, pointing out the instances of former IPS officials A K Khan and Anurag Sharma, whom he praised for the work they were doing in different capacities post-retirement.
Also recalling the RTC loss crisis when he was the Transport Minister, he said it was with the help of former IPS officer V Appa Rao that the government pulled the RTC out of losses and made it register profits. He then went on to appeal to former IPS officials who worked in the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to visit the Integrated Command Control Centre and give suggestions to further enrich the facility. “It is a blessing for us that so many former IPS officers who have retired from the force are staying in the city. My request to you all is to visit the ICCC and share your ideas for enrichment of the facility,” the CM said, also asking the DGP to invite retired officials to the ICCC.
DGP M Mahender Reddy said police teams from Telangana had visited several countries and studied technology and best practices there to plan and make the ICCC a reality. “Nowhere in India, and I think in the world, is there such a facility. It is a hub of seamless technologies and fusion of modern technologies,” he said, adding that the aim was to see an average policeman on the ground connected to technology and being a step ahead of criminals.
Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar termed the ICCC an example of the vision of the Chief Minister. The ICCC would make way for inter-departmental coordination to increase and improve to a large extent. “This is going to be a model for the entire world,” Somesh Kumar said.
IGBC accords gold certification
The Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) has accorded ‘Gold’ certification to the Telangana State Police Integrated Command and Control Centre at Banjara Hills. The certificate was handed over to City Police Commissioner C V Anand by Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao and IGBC officials at the inaugural ceremony of the ICCC on Thursday.
A total of 35 percent of space is reserved on the premises for tree plantation. The glass façade covering three lakh square feet will provide excellent daylighting and enhanced air quality across the building, officials said.
