The police want parks and gated playgrounds to be under lock and key at night to prevent any anti-social activities happening. The observation was made by additional commissioner of police, Bidhannagar North, Dip Kumar Das at a citizen’s meet organised by Salt Lake CE Block Welfare Association recently.

“We have been noticing some parks, including in your block, are left open through the night. That allows anybody to sneak in. Our suggestion is to lock the gates at a fixed time daily,” the police officer said.

The block committee had a general body meeting on a Sunday after the interactive session and took a decision to that effect. “We have decided to lock a few gates of the Green Verge at night,” said block president Debashis Sen.

The police also reiterated the importance of submitting a list of vacant houses in the block to the local police station. “It helps us in focused surveillance when our night patrol does the rounds,” Das said.

Chairman of Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation and local councillor Sabyasachi Dutta suggested to the police officers present that the patrolling happen not in four-wheelers but on bicycle or on foot. “Petty thieves sneak out through the gaps between houses which cannot be accessed by cops in patrol cars,” he said. He also advised them to move about in plainclothes in markets and the Green Verge. “You will overhear a lot and get information.”

Dutta also urged people not to stay quiet if they hear anything suspicious at the neighbour’s. “Raise your voice and be there for each other. Police can do detection after an incident but if you are alert you can prevent a lot of things from happening. Remember, a criminal mostly does not come from outside. He has an inside link supplying information,” he said. He recalled the last big incident of crime in Ward 31 — a diamond loot at a CF Block house which involved shooting. “Even there, the information to the burglars was supplied by a member of the household staff.”

The councillor also appealed for greater community feeling. “There are so many elderly residents who stay alone. I will request one or two of you to take charge of a lane each and stay in touch with them,” he suggested. At the general body meeting, the office-bearers have decided to identify lane managers.

Some residents thanked Dutta for the lamps in the Green Verge with an antique look but complained of cratered roads. Dutta said roads in AE and BE blocks were already being repaired and work in CE Block would be taken up soon. “I have brought the contractor with me. He has promised to start work by the month-end,” he said, pointing to a man in the last row. “It will all be mastic asphalt. Once the roads are repaired, I will initiate regular sweeping,” he promised.

Residents also sought increased patrolling near CE Market. “There is assembly of all kinds of people because of a liquor shop inside,” a lady said. “They fill up soft drink bottles with liquor and go inside the Green Verge to drink.”

Das repeated a plea to submit details of house helps. “There is no background check done at the ayah centres. Give us details and we will do the background check for you,” the officer offered. The Bidhannagar East police station has recently handled a case where a gold bangle was taken off a baby’s hand. In another, the help had stolen a brass idol and kept it buried in the backyard.

The police also objected to a recent trend of people with registered guest houses sending guests to unregistered houses nearby with free rooms if his guest house became full. “Give us a list of houses with paying guests or being used as guest houses. We won’t hike your taxes, do not worry,” Dutta said. “Also ask your domestic help for a document as an identity proof. He or she will escape at the very mention of that in case his or her motive is suspect,” the councillor added.

Inspector in charge of Bidhannagar north police station Pratik Basu asked the block association as well as individuals to install more CCTVs. “It is an invaluable part of patrolling. A two-wheeler was stolen near Arunachal Bhavan a few days ago. We tracked the thief from CCTV footage.” He also reminded residents that police clearance certification was mandatory for new tenants. “Remember this. The thieves are doing the rounds of every locality just as we are. The safety of the area depends on who gets the upper hand. CCTV cameras will help us map the vulnerable points,” Basu said.

Another resident complained of noisy activities next door which is let out as a ceremony house. “In the evenings, either there is music playing at an anniversary bash or live singing to percussion instruments at a mehndi or sangeet ceremony. And from dawn there is loading and unloading of things by loud-mouthed labourers. The cars at their events block the entire lane and I have to drag luggage to the end of the lane to take app cabs which cannot reach my doorstep. The owner is nowhere to be found,” she complained. The IC advised her to ask BMC in writing whether the house has a commercial licence. “I will take care of the rest,” he said.

Renovation of CE Market was another demand raised. “We have to go to neighbouring markets for everything except the basic necessities. Can’t we have a two-storeyed market with a greater variety of products and services?” he proposed.

Several residents raised the issue of owners not parking cars inside the garage. Dutta pointed out he faced the problem himself as his ground floor ceiling was lower than the height of his SUV. “These buildings were built earlier and the garage is too low for new-age big four-wheelers,” he said. A resident proposed turning an empty plot next to Arunachal Bhavan into a parking lot for overnight parking of residents’ cars while another proposed clearing footpaths of enclosed gardens for parking and free the roads.

Another lady spoke of the problem of waterlogging. “Half an hour of steady shower is enough to inundate our streets. Can you ensure cleaning of the drainage lines twice a year?” she asked. Dutta pointed out that water-logging cannot be avoided simply by cleaning drains. “It may solve five per cent of the problem. This block is served by the sewerage pumping station in AF Block. The main problem is backflow. That can only be helped if Kestopur Canal is properly dredged. The state budget has kept provision for that,” he said.

He also asked for a list of gully pits which had got choked by construction materials from under-construction buildings, as alleged by residents.