There has been a strong demand from local intellectuals, businessmen and various quarters for the establishment of a permanent police station at the Patrapur block headquarters in Ganjam district. Patrapur is an important block out of the 22 blocks in the district, and it is said that the need for a permanent police system to maintain law and order has been felt here for a long time, and Patrapur has recently been granted NAC status.
In the past few years, there have been various incidents of agitation, vandalism and hooliganism at the block office, tehsil office and government hospital, and the situation often goes out of control by the time the police arrive. The locals still remember the incident when miscreants set fire to the police beat house set up in Samantiyapalli about 25 years ago. Since Patrapur is on the Andhra Pradesh border, a large number of Andhra people come here every day for business and other purposes. As a result, the entire area, including the market, is always crowded. In such a situation, the opinion of the people of the village is that the establishment of a police station is very important for the safety of the public.
Keeping in mind the law and order, a police beat house was set up in front of the block office about 6 years ago. However, due to shortage of staff, it has been locked for the last three years. On the other hand, there have been various incidents of theft in the Patrapur Bazaar and Tela Bus Stand areas, including attempts to rob gold traders at gunpoint and cases of money laundering by changing the ATM cards of bank customers. Similarly, there has been growing concern among the locals about theft, robbery and other criminal incidents on the roads and streets of various panchayats including Gudipadar, Barang, Khamarigaon, B. Nuagaon, Jayantipur and Kesharipada bordering Andhra Pradesh.
At present, the distance of Jarada police station from Patrapur block headquarters is about 15 kilometers, while Khariaguda and Tumba police stations are located more than 20 kilometers away. In such a situation, considering the extensive perimeter of Jarada police station, intellectuals have expressed the opinion that if a police station is established at the Patrapur block headquarters or in the Andhra border area, law and order management will be stronger.
Jarada police station incharge Meenakshi Dal Behera expressed her displeasure that the Beat House is closed due to shortage of police personnel and lack of necessary ancillary facilities to accommodate staff in the Beat House, while considering the population and the extensive perimeter of Jarada police station, another police station or station has been demanded in the Rajdhani Mahal for setting up in Patrapur or its surrounding areas.
On the other hand, while the government has granted NAC status to Patrapur, considering the long perimeter of Jarada police station and Patrapur block, MLA Minoranjana Dyan Samantara expressed his concern over the government’s request to establish another police station in Patrapur for law and order reasons. While the MLA’s far-sighted proposal has been appreciated in various quarters, the residents of the area are hopeful that a police station will be set up in Patrapur soon.
