Palamu police give slippers to barefooted kids

About a 100 bare footed children in the age group of 7 to 8 got a pair of slippers from Palamu police at village Abun in a programme of special intervention of police at this village where police had identified two of the villagers Murari and Neeraj to be in Maoist outfit.

DGP D K Pandey had asked 12 of his SPs to move out in 31 villages falling across these 12 districts where police have discovered and identified two villagers each have joined naxal outfit like LWE, PLFI etc.

Abun is one of the 3 such identified villages here in Palamu where two of its residents Murari and Niraj have become Maoists. The remaining two other villages fall in Chhaterpur police station and villages are Taylaiya and Bageya.

Panki police first of all listed the problems and demands of Abun village. It ranged from transformer to connectivity, disbursement of pension, health care of three ailing two from goiter and one down with elephantitis, drinking water, recreation facility, sports and games facility etc.

Residents demanded opening of bank accounts as for want of it pension benefit cannot reach the beneficiaries. Police noted this and saw things to be done here. It was the SP who saw bare footed children in hot summer in Abun. None had demanded any foot wear for them.  Police took this initiative on its own.

“ We made an eye estimation of bare footed children only last week of May when we were here and then we decided to give them chappal and we gave them which was most lustily cheered by the children who wore it and felt the comfort in summer.”  SP Palamu Indrajeet Mahatha said.

This is a novel gesture as so far security forces like CRPF and police have distributed chocolates, pencils, slates, copies, school bags, balloons but none saw their bare foot in the past   Foot wear was distributed first by Palamu police and it started in village Abun.

Pandey asked 12 SPs to mitigate the sufferings of the poor of these 31 villages which are naxal hit and this mitigation will bring the outlawed again to law. 12 district police have made a very exhaustive list of 31 villages that come under four zones like South zone, Koyal Sankh zone, North zone and Central Zone under which come Palamu and Chatra districts.

Two goiter patients were given medical advice and treatment SP Mahatha said police would now do a household info collection work if residents of Abun consume iodized salt or not. SP said if it is found that poor families do not afford to buy 17 to 20 rupees Kg salt for their cooking then police will try to line it up with civil supplies office here to bail out such families.

SBI collected  more than30 to 35 forms for opening of bank accounts as here residents have no bank accounts and even if their old age, widow, disabled pension is granted its direct payment is difficult to the beneficiaries. SBI officials have sought police help once more as they want to come to Abun again for this purpose of furthering the opening of bank accounts.