Residents’ associations have a significant role to play in curbing undesirable tendencies in the society including drug menace, crimes and atrocities against women, said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Speaking at the State-level meeting of the representatives of the associations in Kochi on Sunday, Mr. Vijayan suggested that the associations shall confine themselves to the role of supporting police in curbing such menaces and shall not engage in any forms of moral policing. The associations shall not assume the role of the police. Instead, they shall offer support to police for better policing, Mr. Vijayan suggested.
Kerala has a network of people-friendly policing systems and a well-organised civil defence system. The associations shall act hand in hand with these organisations. The associations shall maintain a register of the residents of their respective areas. The listing of the residents would go a long way in identifying and curbing crimes, he felt.
Awareness programmes on drug menace can be organised in association with the cooperation of police, and anti-narcotics squads. Girls can be trained in self-defence programmes with the support of the trainers available with the State police. Such training programmes can be organised in apartment complexes with the cooperation of Jan Maithri police, he suggested.
The associations shall also engage themselves in supporting the elderly people and children in their respective areas. Networking the aged to the mobile helplines can also be undertaken. Popularisation of handicrafts and specialised products of their respective areas and facilitation of small and micro-industrial units in their localities can also be taken up by the associations, he said.
Later, Mr. Vijayan participated in an interactive session with the representatives of the Association.
State Ministers M. B. Rajesh and P. Rajeeve, Kochi Mayor M. Anilkumar, senior government officials including Sharmila Mary Joseph, district collector NSK Umesh, K. Chandran Pillai, chairperson, Greater Cochin Development Authority and State Planning Board member Jiju P. Alex were among those who attended.
