Covid-19 forces decongestion of police barracks
Bhubaneswar: Police have decongested their barracks in almost every district to ensure safety of personnel. Temporary shelters are being built for personnel, who will be moved out of the barracks as part of the decongestion process.
The state police headquarters is jittery as Covid-19 cases have shot up in the state in the past few days, though not a single employee of Odisha Police has so far tested positive for the virus. Safety of the force has been one of the focus areas of the police headquarters in view of increasing cases of police personnel getting infected and dying in other states.
A total of 190 platoons of police force, consisting of about 4,800 personnel of the rank of constable and havildar, are currently deployed on lockdown duty across the state. In the past few days, DGP Abhay and additional director-general of police (law and order) Soumendra Priyadarshi have visited several districts and inspected the barracks. SPs in the red zone districts and Covid hotspots like Ganjam, Berhampur, Balasore, Jajpur, Bhadrak and Angul have been specifically asked to take care of their personnel.
“Our medical officers have been regularly inspecting the health of the people living in the barracks. Adequate precautions have been adopted to maintain social distance and hygiene in the barracks. Entry of outsiders in the barracks is prohibited,” commissioner of police (Bhubaneswar and Cuttack) Sudhanshu Sarangi said.
Bhadrak SP Rajesh Pandit said the guidelines issued by the government for safety of police personnel and upkeep of barracks were being strictly implemented. “We have segregated platoons engaged on lockdown duty and deployed in containment areas. Distance between beds in the barracks is at least 6 or 7 metre. Since the decongestion of barracks has led to a shortage of accommodation, we have made alternate arrangements in some schools and colleges. Two special quarantine centres have also been set up in Bhadrak for our personnel,” Pandit said.
The police headquarters regularly imparts lectures on Covid-19 and precautions to the force.