Shimoga: “We have never seen any elected representatives visit our villages in recent years to learn of our problems or ensure basic facilities. But the police have become real social workers as they respond to our problems even if it is at midnight,” said the villagers in Naxalaffected areas in and around Agumbe.
When Express visited villages in the region, it noticed the changes which have been happening in the last three to four years. People call 100 instead of 108 if they require any medical assistance. Instead of elected representatives and officials, they approach police for ration cards, hostel facility, roads or water. Interestingly, they also get micro loans from the police during the monsoon to purchase seeds and fertilisers.
Police have become the one-point solution for all problems in this area. The scenario was different earlier. People from Ulmadi, Makodu, Tallurangadi, Bidaragodu, Hosangadi and other villages, who were cursing the police for their atrocities, now welcome them into their houses with smiles. “Many-a-time we got the help of the police to take patients to hospitals as neither doctors nor nurses are available in Agumbe after 4 pm,” they said.
Makodu villagers say the police call them once in two days to hear their problems. They encourage the villagers to take up self-employment. This was no simple task for the police. They tried many ways to gain the confidence of the villagers.
When the district police formed the anti-naxal squad, it used the services of youths who had just joined the force. The young brigade succeeded in bringing the much-needed change in those villages with the guidance of the officials. The police also stayed in villagers’ houses and conducted a sports meet. They held health camps and recommended youths for jobs in some companies, Inspector Krishna Naik said.
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