Uttar Dinajpur Police has made a mark in its community initiatives. This district is one step ahead from others as it has arranged placement fair for the unemployed youths following skill development training under Border Area Development Programme (BADP).
Uttar Dinajpur Police has taken up an ambitious project to train nearly 5,000 youths including women in different vocational skills so that they can find a job. The training on Computer Hardware Maintenance , Data Entry Operator, Financial accounting through Tally and Security Guards had been imparted to local youths so that they can meet up local demands of skilled human resource and find a job. The candidates had undergone training for 100 hours and they can practice on their own without any cost.
Six hundred youths have already been imparted training in first phase. Besides, vocational training the district police has arranged career counseling and grooming session for XII pass outs by professional agencies. B T Solution, Sunita Skills, Trust India Solution, RCLD, Prime Security Agency had participated in the Placement Fair and had also extended their co-operation in providing employment. District Superintendent of Police Amit Kumar Bhagat Rathod told West Bengal Protector that their effort to train local youths proved success since 22 of 600 candidates have already received employment after the training. The SP said, “Such training programmes are organised for the younger generation of the area, who have completed class XII. We will continue to help them get ready for getting employment opportunity. Experts on the career development schemes have been roped in to conduct these training programmes so that the trainees become suitable to take up prospective assignments.”
While international telecom company Vodafone has appointed 15 trained persons, seven others have received employment as Security Guards in different establishments. A survey was conducted in 3000 villages in seven blocks along Indo-Bangladesh borders and the training programme had been undertaken as part of the country’s current effort for Skill Development. The government has earmarked funds for the development along border areas. Kendriya Bhandar – a Govt of India sponsored NGO has been entrusted with the job to train the local people, who belonged to the financially backward sections in this bordering district.
The SP said that they had started preventive policing to ensure advance information gathering for the prevention of crimes. A systematic approach is being maintained so that criminals do not have easy access to resources for committing crimes. Mapping of crime prone areas has been done and background and criminal antecedents of the miscreants have been collected through source networks. They have disposed about 22000 warrants during recent years and have taken appropriate steps to deal with the cognizable offence, he added.
The district has 237-km international border with Bangladesh and 205-km interstate border making the areas more vulnerable. There are seven check posts on NH 31 and 34 and the state highway. Superior officers visit at various incepting points where Naka Checking is usual.
Accident prone areas on major thoroughfares have also been identified. Besides installing 32 CCTV cameras and guard rails at different vantage positions, the district police has introduced solar blinkers, road studs and cautionary signs to make the entire highway better for smooth movement, the SP informed. He also said that they had started taking certain measures to help the drivers driving heavy trucks on the highway. Blood pressure of truck drivers are measured on the road side camps. If any driver is found unfit to drive at that moment, he is advised to take rest for at least 30 minutes at the camp and is offered water and tea. This measure has been taken to reduce the chances of accident because truck drivers drive for long hours and particularly on highways. They may fall asleep or their Blood Pressure may go high which may increase the chances of road accidents. The SP said, the idea behind the measure was “not to punish but to create an emphatic environment.” The district police has also taken up social awareness programmes as a section of people still has the habit of “witch hunting”. A section of villagers indulge in child marriage largely because of backwardness in the region.
Abhijit Chatterjee
