As many as 30 umbrellas and 50 cotton towels have been distributed among traffic cops here to beat the summer heat in Palamu, where mercury rises up to 44 degree Celsius on any sunny day coupled with heat waves to steal freshness off face.
SP Palamu Ajay Linda said, “During this lockdown I used to push off for check posts on roads to find any movement of migrants coming on foot or by vehicles and there I found our cops doing duties under the sun with bare little to protect their head and body apart from the masks.”
Linda said traffic cops doing duties on road bridges were more hard pressed in this cruel Sun in Palamu and so this umbrella and towel came for them. Linda said, “An idea came to me to give our traffic cops umbrellas and towels. Our police bought it and gave it to the traffic in charge R Saras here.”
The SP said Daltonganj’s summer is scorching and indescribable where even at 5 PM or so one can feel the burn of summer heat. Umbrellas and towels have come handy to our traffic cops, he added.
Cops now can’t use caps under order of DGP M V Rao in the wake of the pandemic Coronavirus where police officials are wearing full sleeve uniform in summer. In absence of caps, the umbrellas will come to the rescue of the cops, said Linda.
A lady traffic constable Sukurmuni Barjo said she does not feel any inconvenience in handling an umbrella. And with cotton towel she has an additional head protection in summer while on duty on road.
SDPO Sadar Sandip Kumar Gupta said traffic duty on two ends of road bridges on the rivers is much harder. Here these two road bridges are at Shahpur and Amanat.. There are in all 53 cops and officials in the traffic section and these 30 umbrellas and 50 cotton towels are exchanged among them as per the duty schedules said Gupta.
Linda said road traffic was restricted in lockdown but with ease coming now road traffic will increase and here our traffic cops are to be more exertive and vigilant.