For policemen, their duty towards their job, their service towards the country will always be foremost but a few among them have often gone out of their way to turn into 'messiahs' for those who can't. In Telangana's Utnoor, Deputy Superintendent of Police N Uday Reddy is one of those with an exemplary and selfless life.
The 29-year-old policeman has gone to the Jamda village in Adilabad district last year and while talking to a tribal village head, he learnt of the problems of visual impairment that plagues the villagers. Sensing the dire situation the villagers were in, Reddy decided to do something about it. He decided to write to the LV Prasad Eye Institute for help in the matter ad thus began a mission, a mission that aimed to relive as many people as possible from the impairments. The hospital so far has conducted some 67 eye surgeries.
Speaking to The Hindu, Reddy said, "From my end I’m paying for their pre-operative screening, eye-wear and medicines as it might be heavy on their pockets,” he said, refusing to specify the amount he has spent so far.
Initially, Reddy's discussion with Durgu Patel, the village head had only mentioned about some 20 people who required assistance with their vision correction. But over time, this became Reddy's life mission.
Reddy has always frequented the tribal areas and others with other local officers and their jurisdiction has 552 villages. He says that villagers have often demanded roads or clean water and other facilities but a health request was a first for him.
Reddy has also branched out with his resources and has assisted in the police conducting over 500 medical camps om at least 300 villages in the Utnoor area.
Reddy says that apart from helping villagers with their health conditions, the police is also aiming to help improve the conditions of the youth in the community.
The police thus organise job fairs, sporting events and anything where the community and youth can come together and make something useful of themselves. Organisations such as Amazon, Flipkart and others have also hired people from this area, Reddy says.