It isn’t just another canteen they run at the Janamaithri police station in the hill town of Adimali. Besides serving food to the general public at reasonable rates, the profit generated is used for charity, reports Manoj Viswanathan
+Ve IDUKKI
Often, cops tend to make headlines for all the wrong reasons, with allegations of corruption and torture having brought disrepute to the men in khaki. But a group of officers at the Adimali police station in Idukki has scripted a new chapter in policing with a human face. If anything, they strive to transform lives through compassion. Thanks chiefly to the initiative of Sub Inspectors K D Maniyan and C R Santhosh of the Janamaithri police station, for the past six years, the police canteen adjoining the Taluk hospital in the hill town has been a beacon of hope for poor patients. Besides providing food at reasonable rates, the charity activities taken up using the profit thus generated make the police canteen stand out.
Maniyan hit up on the idea as police personnel could not afford the mounting cost of food. He brought together 100 police personnel, each of whom chipped in Rs 12,000, for the purpose. They decided to provide quality food sans artificial flavours. A meal from the police canteen costs the public a modest Rs 40 while it is available to the personnel for just Rs20. The canteen has been making a monthly profit of Rs1.5 to `2 lakh which is being used to help the needy.
“Till date, we have contributed around `32 lakh for charitable activities,” said Maniyan, Community Relations Officer (CRO), at the Janamaithri station. “The canteen has borne the cost of treatment of Ram and Lakshman, twins aged 10, who suffer from muscular dystrophy. Around `6.5 lakh has been spent on them till date and we are planning to construct a house for them. We also helped a child regain his eyesight by footing the cost of surgery. We distributed free foodgrain and other essential items to 60 families who lost their livelihood and took care of terminally ill patients during the lockdown,” said Maniyan. He also ran a campaign to create awareness on Covid protocol while underscoring the importance of following hygienic practices to stave off infection.
During the lockdown period, Adimali police led by Inspector Anil George and the Maniyan- Santhosh duo have been toiling round-the-clock. They raised funds and constructed a dwelling place for Theyyamma, a destitute woman, and delivered oxygen cylinder to a Tribal woman suffering from chronic lung disease.
They donated TV set and DTH connection for Tribal students of a remote tribal hamlet and delivered essentials and medicines at the doorstep of elderly citizens. Besides, the police along with the fire force distributed 5,000 facemasks to the public and cleaned auto stands and the bus stand. Union Minister Prakash Javadekar had tweeted praise for their yeoman service.