Popular picnic sites around the city might not be witnessing many criminal cases coming to public glare these days. But, safety of revelers remains a big question at popular spots despite police’s increased vigil in the areas.
Police personnel are actively patrolling during evening in the respective areas to avert petty crimes, though their reach and frequency of patrolling makes a common man wonder about his safety.
"No extra force has been deployed in picnic areas for now. Around 5 to7 extra officers will be active from 5 pm to 7 pm during New Year's week. Cases of loot are most common in such areas. On Wednesday we arrested two offenders with 4 motorcycles in Tatisilway area. No cases have been registered this year in popular picnic areas," said SP (Rural) of Ranchi, Anish Gupta.
In Ranchi this year (till September) a total of 5528 cases of crime have been registered, an increase of 6.3 per cent from last year.
SSP Ranchi Prabhat Kumar, promising better safety for the tourists said, “A major amount of force has returned post the elections. But the security would be tightened in picnic places from December 28 till January 2.Townhall, Rock Garden, Doranda Park, Machli Ghar, Jonha Falls and Dassam Falls are quite active with felony. Two cases of female harassment, a case of bike robbery and few drunken brawls were reported in one of these sites this year. A lot of accident cases were reported in December-January quarter in the last two years. Our officers will patrol on bikes, will be equipped with wireless headsets, few will roam around in civil dress and a quick response team (QRT) will also be active."
But even during the broad daylight, people in some spots don't feel safe hanging around with female company. "Whenever I visit Kanke dam with my group, I always prefer going back before the sun sets. Police at times checks around dusk to evade the public, but still drunkards frequently visit the place. I feel the need of a tighter security in such places," said Priya Jha, a class XI student.
In the capital city families avoid going to crowded places during the peak season due to the safety reasons. “last year my neighbor had brawl with drunkards who were passing comments on his family members near Booty more. Many such cases go unreported as people still feel uncomfortable to contact police and seek help. Moreover, police is not so active in the areas as they consider these ‘small incidents’ need to be overlooked during the season of revelry,” said Ajay Bajaj, a resident of Morhabadi.