A 54-year-old police inspector has not only been doing his duty despite the age-related relaxations in the force, but going beyond it to serve the families of cops who died during the lockdown, citizens and migrants
A slum dweller is given food grain by a police officer as part of Inspector Madye's initiative
The state might not have made it mandatory for police personnel above age 50 to come to work every day until the COVID-19 threat is tackled, but that hasn't stopped 54-year-old Inspector Vijay Madye from doing his duty, and going beyond it. Not only did the officer, who is attached to the Borivli police station himself contribute, but he also chanelled the money of donors to the families of 12 policemen who died of COVID-19 while on duty. He also helped provide foodgrains to at least 5,000 migrants during the lockdown.
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R50k each to 12 families
Speaking to mid-day, Inspector Madye said, "I received a call recently from Kalpesh Shah, who is the owner of the Jaykal Export Private Limited Company at SV Road, in Santacruz West. Shah told me that he wanted to donate R6 lakh to my department. I took the help of local Member of Parliament Gopal Shetty, and donated all that money to the families of police personnel who died due to COVID-19. Many societies have also contributed and helped me to donate food to police families."
Inspector Vijay Madye also got NGOs to help provide food to migrants during the lockdown
"I contacted Inspector Madye and donated R6 lakh to him to help police personnel. He decided to give it to the families of personnel who died due to COVID-19 and donated R50,000 each from it to 12 such families," said Kalpesh Shah.
The families include those of Constables Chandrakant Pendurkar, 58, Sandeep Surve, 52, Shivaji Sonawane, 56, Dipak Hate, 53, Ganesh Choudhary, 57, Arun Phadtare, 55, ASI Murlidhar Waghmar, 57, Madhukar Mane, 57, Police Naik Bhagwan Parte, 44, Sub-Inspector Amol Kulkarni, 32, ASI Sunil Kargutkar, 54, and ASI Bhimsen Pingale.
Ration to police societies
Inspector Madye also helped the Swarasangini Mahila Grih Udog who aided police families at Borivali during the lockdown. The president of the organisation, Amita Warang said, "In the lockdown period Inspector Madye helped us provide ration kits to the entire Natakwala Lane police colony from his own pocket." The Inspector also helped migrants by getting NGOs to serve at least 5,000 of them in Borivli with breakfast, lunch and dinner during the lockdown.
But ask the Inspector whether he is afraid of his own health, and he takes it in his stride. "Sure we are worried. But our duty is our passion. During the lockdown so many people were suffering and didn't know where they could get aid, or food. So I decided to help them. I credit Senior Inspector Laxman Dumbre for supporting me" he says modestly.
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