BENGALURU: The overstressed constabulary of the state has a reason to cheer. Improving their living standards and working conditions figures high among the priorities for Karnataka’s new Home Minister M B Patil. The senior Congress leader was allotted the Home portfolio on Friday. He was inducted into the H D Kumaraswamy government on December 15. About his vision for the department, Patil said he understood the importance of the work that he would do while holding the post. “I have been entrusted with an important assignment which involves security of the state and its citizens. There are many things to focus on, including security of the state, traffic management, improving living standards and working conditions of constables,” he said.
“Unlike officers who may have a more comfortable life, their (constables’) life is very tough and we need to improve their living standards. We must look at their salaries, housing and other issues as they are very important to us,” he said.
The Home Minister also promised to look into a long-standing demand of providing traffic constables with better equipment to help them deal with the city’s burgeoning traffic and rising air pollution levels. “Look at traffic constables being exposed to so much pollution, I don’t know how efficient are the masks they wear. I cannot comment about it now but they have to be better equipped and we need to take care of their health. They also have a precious life,” he said.
Ensuring smooth flow of traffic in Bengaluru and other cities is another priority he listed. “Building ring roads and flyovers are long-term solutions. We also need to look at how best we can use existing infrastructure to ease congestion. Many countries do really well in terms of using existing infrastructure for better traffic management and we also need to look at those practices,” he said.
Patil says he is well aware of the challenges ahead of him. “I have an intent to address all the issues by consulting experts and studying best practices in different states. Let us see how successful I will be.”
On the current political situation, Patil said the coalition government will complete its full term. “When we don’t have majority, such a situation will arise. Secular parties have to come together for the larger cause of keeping right-wing forces out of power. In the larger interest, we have to sacrifice”