HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS INDEX : Tirupati bags 2nd place in safety

Tirupati: Continuing its streak of national level performances in many areas, the pilgrim city of Tirupati got another coveted recognition by bagging second place in safety and security aspect in the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs index based on its survey covering as many as 111 cities across the nation.

The success of Tirupati Urban police becoming people friendly and effective in law and order ensuring the safety and security in the areas where the pilgrim movement is heavy like airport, railway station, bus stations, hotels and pilgrim amenities complexes as well as their friendly approach towards, tourists the visitors saw the Urban place getting the envious second place at national level in safety and security.

On an average, about 70,000 pilgrims from all over the country visiting Tirupati on a pilgrimage and the number cross one lakh mark and even more during holidays and festive seasons posing a tough challenge to the police and civic authorities in maintaining basic facilities, orderly movement of public and their safety and security while the constant flow of VVIPs including foreign dignitaries adding more to the difficulty to their job.

Against this backdrop, the city wining second place is not an easy achievement but the result of sustained efforts on the part of the Urban police who are virtually on their toes round the clock with no let-up in the pilgrim and VIPs flow as well as in coping with the rapid growth of the city enlarging its boundaries thanks to its booming pilgrim economy.

Speaking to The Hans India, Tirupati Urban SP Abhishek Mohanty said that he was immensely happy at the city getting national level recognition the area of safety and security and said it was the result of the collective efforts of the entire police force in the urban district.

``On my part I saw many innovative measures in crime prevention, ensuring law and order, keeping a round the clock vigil in pilgrim areas and streamlining traffic in the pilgrim city besides making the police force more people friendly,’’ he said

Mohanty said the task of police in the famous pilgrim city is more difficult as they have to deal with the constant flow of pilgrim rush and VIPs arrival on round the clock basis besides the fast-growing population of the town which we are now efficiently doing.

He affirmed that many more measures are in the offing for further fine tuning of the police administration here.

It is pertinent to note that the Urban police also recently adjudged second in the state in implementing AP Police guidelines while the city also bagged fourth place among the `most livable cities' and third place in `Swachh Railway-Swachh Bharath'.