Tents given to cops should be maintained

The tent at Navghar was filthy with a broken door; (right) The tent at BKC had some construction material inside. Pics/Rajesh Gupta

The police are hoping to get their tents set up, like they used to have earlier, as the scorching summer followed by the monsoon season is around the corner.

The canopies that were set up by the Reliance Foundation last summer to protect the police force from the elements are now in a dilapidated state. This paper's correspondent, after a look at various tent structures, cited in a report that some were empty, one had construction material inside, others were simply too dilapidated.

These tent structures helped our police keep an eye on errant motorists, in relative comfort. They could also store their belongings inside the tents, which was hugely convenient given that they needed to be on the roads and highways for hours together.

The seniors and authorities should have ensured that the tents stay intact and in good condition, given their usefulness to our force. Unfortunately, there was neglect and a deaf ear to some complaints about the status of these tents and now most have become just too dilapidated for use.

When our force is not given basic amenities like a place of shade or some space to store food and water, it is definitely going to be a morale dampener for our men and women in uniform. We must keep in mind that they are humans too and need the little moments of privacy and rest that these tents could give them.

It was surely not too tough a task to enter into a contract with some agency entrusted with the upkeep of this. It is sad too that something given to the force is allowed to fall apart in this way.

We laud our force and call them frontline warriors, saluting their sacrifices during COVID waves. We need to give them some respect and empathy so that they are encouraged, cared for and have some small creature comforts to do their tasks well.