GK-2 has been besieged with law and order issues for quite a while with incidents of theft and burglaries being reported with incessant regularity. Even though the police have been efficient in
cracking most of these cases, a need was felt to fortify the preventive aspects of crime by strengthening the security of the colony. GKIIWA rose to the occasion by launching a scheme for this purpose in coordination with the local police. Our Resident Editor, Manoj Kumar, recently interviewed the Greater Kailash II Welfare Association (GKIIWA) General Secretary, Sanjay Rana, to understand the various facets of this scheme in detail. The excerpts of this interview are provided below.
Q. What is the new security scheme that has been implemented in the colony?
A. At the outset, I would like to thank the CR Park SHO Mr Ritesh Sharma for his unflinching support to this new initiative of ours. We have identified nine entry/exit points to our colony, which are now barricaded daily from 10 PM to 6AM in order to completely secure the colony at night. While these barricades effectively seal the entire colony, entry/exits are permitted only from one point on the main M Block Road towards E Block. All other points remain closed for entry/exits except in case of an emergency. Each of the barricades is manned by private security guards hired by GKIIWA. The residents of the houses near some of these barricades have been kind enough to also provide their own security guards at the barricades in addition to the Guards hired by us so as to augment the strength of the security staff. We open a few barricades a little early in the morning to allow movement of buses of the schools situated in the colony.
Q. What has been the immediate impact of this measure?
A. It has been about a month since this scheme was implemented and we have already seen a reduction in the crime rate in our colony. While earlier, it was common for a crime to occur once every two to three days, we have now hardly heard of any such instance since the launch of this scheme. There was a recent incident when a tempo carrying a few men crashed through a barricade at a high speed in the middle of the night and disappeared inside the colony in spite of being challenged by the security guards. We immediately alerted all the other barricades to seal the colony. The tempo was eventually traced and intercepted with the help of the police before any untoward incident could take place. Recently, ACP CR Park and ACP Hauz Khas PS also visited our colony and praised our new security apparatus. We must however remember that while such measures act like a huge deterrent for criminals, they cannot be entirely infallible.
Q. How do you ensure that all Security Guards are present and stay alert all night?
A. We have hired the security guards through two security agencies with the load evenly distributed between each agency. This is a risk mitigation strategy to ensure availability of the required Guards at all times. In addition, we have made it mandatory for each guard to take his selfie on his mobile and send it to us on WhatsApp at hourly intervals through the night. This confirms that the guards are awake and alert. Finally, I, along with my team, carry out visitation rounds of each barricade taking turns every night. I am ably supported in this activity by my team members SR Sharma, Vinod Bindra, Gaurav Lamba, Rishi Kumar, Sangeeta Arora, Rajesh Kumar, Udayan Sharma and others.
Q. How are the local police cooperating with you on this initiative?
A. CR Park Police Station informs us about the names and mobile nos of their night patrolling staff which we share with the security guards at each barricade. This helps the guards to immediately contact the patrolling staff directly in case of any need. Besides, the police patrolling staff also visit our barricades on a regular basis
Q. How do you manage the expenses of this initiative?
A. Some of the major expense heads include guards’ salaries, investment on security apparatus including erection and maintenance of the guard cabins, upkeep of barricades and other incidental expenses. We have urged the colony residents to contribute Rs.500 p.m. per kitchen towards this initiative. The residents may even pay their full year contribution in advance to save the administrative hassle of monthly collection. This is not a very big sum of money to ensure our security. We are glad that several residents have already made this contribution and we expect the remaining residents to come forward and pay up their contribution too. Residents can make payment through any mode of their choice. For any further clarifications, they may contact the GKIIWA office at M-19 GK-2 or contact us at 9312209333.
