Foot soldiers in rain: Going beyond the call of duty

Delhi Police to Gurugram Police, everyone has been helping citizens sail through the waterlogged sites in Delhi-NCR. From facilitating the traffic flow to lifting trees that fell due to strong winds and rain and even filing potholes, the men in khaki are doing it all.

Standing neck deep in water, wearing rain boots and helping to not just clear the traffic but also to go beyond their call of duty to help citizens sail through the water, quite literally, are the cops in Delhi-NCR. The past few weeks have seen the Capital getting lashed by the rain, followed by waterlogging reported at several key junctions. And images of police personnel, stepping up to aid those stuck, have surfaced online. From facilitating the traffic flow to lifting trees that fell due to strong wind and rain and even filing potholes, the men in khaki are doing it all.

Gurugram Police personnel have been helping to clear the water blocked at manholes, to avoid waterlogging on roads.

Filling potholes in Gurugram, which were created due to heavy rain, Shahid Ahmed, in charge of traffic control in Gurugram Police, says, “It rained heavily the second time here, and there was a lot of water around. There have been many instances when my colleagues and me filled up the potholes that are dangerous in this weather and can cause serious accidents. There was this one instance when a manhole got jammed, and we tried to take out the mud or garbage so that water could drain out. All inspectors and constables, deputed at different points, are our foot soldiers in this time of rains, as saving people’s lives is of prime importance to us. And we ensure that our officials are well equipped with raincoats and umbrellas.”

Ritesh Kumar, SHO, Greater Kailash, who recently pitched in to lift a fallen tree on a day when it rained excessively in the city, says, “There are no limitations when it comes to duty. Saamne koi situation ho, toh usko solve karna humara maksad rehta hai. Kaise kisi ko problem se bahar nikalna hain, yehi koshish hoti hai. Pehle human life save karna sabse zaroori hai. When I was lifting the tree, some people saw me and came forward to help. They, too did their service to humanity by helping us. Yehi sabse badi duty hai!”

And then there’s sub inspector Joginder Singh, from Gurugram Police, who helped dug out water stuck at a man hole. He says, “Mana yeh duty se hatke hai, par zaruri tha kyunki pani nikal hi nahin raha tha IFFCO Chowk pe. Pura din pareshan rahenge sab yeh soch ke kiya. I was helped by two other policeman. Public ki seva karna toh duty hai humari, aur aage bhi karenge!”

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