CHENNAI: A public grievances meeting chaired by respective police inspectors will take place twice daily in every police station coming under Chennai city police, city police commissioner AK Viswanathan said on Monday.
Inspectors of each police station will be available in police stations between 11 am and 12.30 pm, and again in the evening between 8 pm to 9 pm, to hold grievances meetings with anyone who approaches the police station. “In case of inspector’s absence, a sub-inspector will chair the meeting,” Viswanathan said.
The move was aimed to facilitate quick addressing of public grievances near their homes.
Similar initiatives were earlier announced by several former commissioners of the city police. However, they lost steam and were not properly implemented. A few police officers attributed workload inspectors would receive in case of any major law and order incidents. Currently, public grievances meetings take place in the city police office daily, and the city police commissioner himself supervises them. The petitions were then forwarded to respective police stations for further action.
Addressing various other law, order and traffic issues in the city, Viswanathan said all dysfunctional traffic signals would be repaired soon. He also appealed to parents not to allow their underaged wards to drive.
Meanwhile, Viswanathan also justified detaining pro-Eelam activist G Thirumurugan Gandhi and three others under the draconian Goondas Act, since they were indulging in violence when they were arrested at Marina Beach on May 21. Gandhi was arrested when 300 people assembled to host a candlelight vigil in memory of civilians killed in the final phase of the Eelam war.
The city police’s decision to detain the four under the Goondas Act was widely criticised as undemocratic. But Viswanathan defended saying, Gandhi and others also indulged in violence.
“They also took out the rally without any permission from police,” he said.