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Patna, Nov. 30: Police directives come and go, but things go on as ever. Over the year, the cops have issued a number of orders for cyber cafés, school buses and others to improve the law and order situation in the state capital.
Very few of the directives, however, have had the desired effect. Moreover, the police have also not followed up some of them.
The cops have conducted frequent raids on cyber cafés in recent times to check alleged nefarious activities. To ensure that all the Internet hubs follow certain rules and regulations, the police issued a directive on February 24. According to it, cyber café owners are supposed to install at least two closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in their outlets, record the contact details of their customers and remove opaque cabins.
Many cafés operating in the city have, however, failed to fulfil the norms.
“A number of cyber cafés have not acted according to the directions. Though many have demolished the opaque cabins, the installation of CCTV cameras still hangs in the balance,” an officer in the rank of deputy superintendent of police told The Telegraph today.
He added: “We are working to ensure that the norms are followed. We are also conducting frequent raids.”
The latest inspection was conducted at an Internet hub in the Rajendra Nagar area on November 12.
Cyber cafés are not the only pies on the police’s plate.
Another thorn in their side is the frequent accidents of school buses. In February this year, former traffic superintendent of police (SP) Ajit Kumar Sinha issued a 15-point directive that school buses were supposed to follow.
According to the directive, bus owners were supposed to paint “School Bus” on the body of the vehicles. Phone numbers of the school, the police station concerned and senior police officers were also supposed to be painted on the bus. Many vehicles failed to fulfil the norms.
The police, too, did not confiscate any bus violating the rules. Their reason: the board examinations. A senior police officer had then said confiscating the school buses would cause problems to the students. They also promised to start enforcing the regulations from April, after the exams got over.
The same regulations were re-issued in June. Five mandatory clauses were added to them: all buses should have a first-aid kit, the name and contact numbers of the bus owner and the driver should be painted on the body of the vehicle, the number of the police control room, the SP and DSP concerned should also be painted. The vehicle should drive within a speed limit of 20kmph.
Sources said many buses have still not adhered to the norms though the spate of mishaps has continued.
On November 23, a school bus ran over a 12-year-old-boy near Haj Bhavan on Hardinge Road. Senior superintendent of police Alok Kumar had yet again reiterated the earlier norms.
Upendra Sharma, city (west) and traffic SP, told The Telegraph: “We will ensure that these regulations are strictly followed.”
However, now the police have turned to the office of the district education officer and the human resource development department with an expectation that they come up with necessary directions for the schools to put brakes on the killer buses.
Another directive the police issued this year, which they have been unable to implement, concerns their own colours.
On October 14, a directive had been issued forbidding cops from using the traditional police colours of red and blue on their private vehicles.
Sources said the work had started to enforce the norm and some policemen, who have not followed it, have been asked to provide explanations. However, there is still a long way to go before it is fully implemented.
An officer said: “Many policemen have followed the rule but it will take some time before all of them do so.”
He added: “It takes time to enforce regulations. These things take time.”
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