‘Trishul’ strategy to help check drug menace, crimes and road accidents in A.P.

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Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu chairing the eighth Collectors’ Conference in Amaravati on Friday. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Friday directed the police and district administrations to adopt a three-pronged strategy aimed at achieving ‘zero drugs, zero tolerance towards atrocities against women and zero road accidents’. He ordered the formation of State and district-level committees under the name ‘Trishul’.

Reviewing the law-and-order situation with Collectors and Superintendents of Police at the concluding session of the eighth Collectors’ Conference in Amaravati, Mr. Naidu asked the committees to prepare time-bound action plans and monitor their implementation.

He called for intensified action against ganja and the drug menace, with a calendar of awareness and enforcement programmes. De-addiction Centres of Excellence should be set up in Visakhapatnam, Tirupati and Amaravati, he said.

Mr. Naidu directed the police to take stringent action against objectionable content on social media and asked the Ministerial Committee examining social media-related issues to study the organised harassment through digital platforms in depth.

Stressing the importance of prompt investigation, the Chief Minister asked the police to reach crime scenes within 30 minutes. Every road accident should be audited to identify the causes. The ambulance response time should also be analysed, he said.

Pointing out that Andhra Pradesh ranked first nationally in road accidents, Mr. Naidu said the State has recorded a 14% decline in crime over the past two years, while offences under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act also declined by 29.2%.

Highlighting that the conviction rate was currently 47%, he said better collection and preservation of evidence could help it increase to 70% to 80%.

He called for regional forensic laboratories and additional dog squads, besides a ‘one court-one constable’ system to monitor cases pending before courts. He directed officials to reduce the time taken for DNA testing in critical cases from the current six hours.

The Chief Minister said the police should remain firm on law and order while being people-friendly.

Mr. Naidu asked the police not to inconvenience the public during VIP movements. “Traffic should not be stopped 15 minutes before my arrival. The number of vehicles in my convoy has substantially reduced,” he said.

He said the government is responsible for signing investment agreements, but Collectors are responsible for grounding the projects. “Investment delayed means employment denied,” he said.

He warned that development should not be held up by the negligence of officials and said reviews should produce results and discussions should translate into better public services.

On the drought situation, Mr. Naidu said the State had recorded a rainfall deficit due to the El Niño situation. Collectors should accord priority to supplying drinking water for people and livestock, he said.

The State’s growth rate at current prices is estimated at 13.44%, while GST revenue has grown by 18%, Mr. Naidu said, adding that the government would complete 5.32 lakh houses by 2027 and provide tap water to every household by 2028.

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