Patna, Oct. 11: Health freaks hitting the streets of the state capital for morning walks often face encounters with criminals, careless motorists and even eve-teasers.

Sources said in the absence of parks and green patches in the city, residents prefer the thoroughfares to walk or to jog. However, their health excursion often leads them to criminals or eve-teasers. Accidents, too, have become common in the early hours, claiming the lives of at least two morning walkers.

The cops, however, claim that all the police stations in the city have been instructed to patrol the areas under their jurisdiction in the morning, and it was being done.

A police officer told The Telegraph: “The men in uniform are always there. They have been given instructions to move around in the morning hours and carry out extensive patrolling. Policemen, some of them in civilian clothes, often patrol different parts of the city. We are always there to ensure the safety of the people.”

The recent spurt in mishaps, however, has a different tale to tell.

On September 14, 60-year-old Sharda Devi was crushed to death by a speeding school bus below Gai Ghat bridge under Alamganj police station. Former state Congress spokesperson Uma Shankar Gupta was killed on August 28, when a speeding truck hit his scooter, as he was returning home after a morning walk.

Residents claim that policemen are a rare sight in the early hours of the day.

Sudhir Sinha, a resident of Boring Canal Road, told The Telegraph: “Police presence is sparse in the early hours of the day. For many days, I have not seen any policeman or patrol vehicle on the entire stretch that starts at Boring Canal Road and ends at Hartali roundabout. A number of morning walkers frequent the stretch though. There are no cops between Hartali and the high court roundabout either.”

Two of the most popular haunts of morning walkers in the city are Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park on Bailey Road and the Eco Park near the old secretariat.

K. Raman, a teacher who resides in Patliputra, said: “For the past three months, a police patrol car can be seen near the zoo. As a number of bureaucrats and politicians frequent the zoo, the police presence is higher. The Eco Park on Strand Road, which falls in a VIP zone, has a strong police presence. However, other areas of the city, like Shastri Nagar, SK Puri, Patliputra and others, have very little or no policing in the morning.”

However, the zoo and the Eco Park are not safe zones either. On April 17 this year, some morning walkers had caught a couple of men who had been teasing a middle-aged woman at the zoo. The duo had been harassing the lady and making lewd comments. They were handed over to Sachivalaya police station personnel.

On the same day, a gang was nabbed that used to move around in an autorickshaw and target people who ventured out early in the morning. Early morning pedestrians claimed that speeding vehicles are also a major cause of concern.

Naeem Khan, a regular morning walker, said: “As the roads are empty in the morning, buses, autorickshaws and private cars tend to speed. It is rather risky to take a walk, especially on Bailey Road. One can easily get hit.”