Latest news with #ShankabrathaBagchi
The Hindu
27-06-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Rallies, awareness events mark International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking
Rallies, awareness programmes, seminars and sensitisation events marked the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking in Visakhapatnam, Alluri Sitharama Raju and Anakapalli districts on Thursday. A walkathon involving police, Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), State Bank of India (SBI), Eagle Team, students from various colleges, youth, and people's representatives was organised on Beach Road in Visakhapatnam. Students from Andhra Medical College wore T-shirts depicting the theme of the day. Slogans were raised against the usage of ganja and other narcotic drugs. NCC cadets and NSS volunteers, representatives from the legal service authority, health, women and child welfare, youth services and athletes also participated. They pledged support to make society free from drug abuse. The officials urged the youth to stay away from drugs. Police Commissioner Shankabratha Bagchi cautioned the youth against experimenting with drugs under peer influence or for fun, saying that it could ruin lives. He expressed concern over the increasing number of young people becoming addicted to drugs, leading to the disintegration of families. He warned that drug abuse affects both mental and physical health and advised the youth to stay informed and vigilant. Visakhapatnam Collector M.N. Harendhira Prasad said that toll-free helpline numbers have been set up for reporting any activities related to substance abuse. He urged those who have fallen into the trap of addiction to seek help from rehabilitation centres. He stressed that addicts should not be treated as criminals but as patients who need medical assistance. Rehabilitation centres have been established at the KGH and the Government Hospital for Mental Care at Pedawaltair, he said, adding that several voluntary organisations are working to support the victims of substance abuse. MP M. Sribharat opined that the enforcement agencies must take stringent measures to prevent the accessibility of drugs. He noted that initiatives like the Eagle Team at the State level have already started, and similar mechanisms should be adopted at the district level as well. Meanwhile, scores of tribal students and staff from various government departments led by Alluri Sitharama Raju district District Collector A.S. Dinesh Kumar and Superintendent of Police Amit Bardar took part in a rally at Paderu. An awareness meeting was organised, where the officials spoke about the harmful effects and consequences of drug abuse. Additional SP K. Dheeraj, Chintapalli ASP Navajyoti Mishra, Paderu DSP Sahabaj Mohammed and others took part in the programme.
The Hindu
08-06-2025
- The Hindu
Vizag police launch ‘Astram' app to tackle traffic issues in the city
Minister for Home V. Anitha on Sunday (June 8) launched 'Astram', a traffic monitoring app designed by the Visakhapatnam City Police, during a programme at the police conference hall here. She was accompanied by Commissioner of Police Shankabratha Bagchi, Deputy Commissioner of Police V. Ajitha and a few others. Ms. Anitha said the city police have been trying to ensure a smoother traffic, and the app was being launched keeping in view the interests of public. She said that with the city growing by leaps and bounds, traffic issues have become a major problem and the government was using technology to tackle it. Mr. Shankabratha Bagchi said Visakhapatnam is the only city after Bengaluru, where the 'Astram' app will be used by the police as well as public. Though the app was launched in Vijayawada earlier, it is only being used by the police. He said that the public can get real-time updates about the traffic in the city using the app, which will can be downloaded from the Play Store. He said field officers and traffic police on duty will report traffic situations in their localities to the control room, and the data will be integrated and further shared on the app on real time. The officer added that the app allows an analysis of the cause of the traffic congestions—whether it is a vehicle breakdown, road accident, road design issue or signal problem. The police can analyse and come up with solution, he opined. He said the app will also helps design green channels during VIP movements and transportation of body organs during emergencies.
The Hindu
27-05-2025
- The Hindu
Surprise police checks reveal flouting of norms by many hotels in Visakhapatnam
As part of security measures, the city police conducted surprise inspections at more than 80 hotels and lodges simultaneously on Monday night. Following instructions from the Commissioner of Police, Shankabratha Bagchi, police teams under the supervision of senior officials conducted the raids between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. They uncovered multiple violations by several hotels including operating without proper licences, mandatory fire No Objection Certificate (NOC), trade licences, and other essential clearances. Multiple teams took part in the raids in different areas in Zone I and II and each team was equipped with body-worn cameras and included a woman police constable or woman home guard to ensure gender-sensitive procedures during the checks. The inspections focused on verifying the identity of guests, checking for individuals with Non-Bailable Warrants (NBWs), absconding suspects, and minors. Officials also assessed whether hotels were adhering to operational regulations such as maintaining valid trade licences, fire NOCs, GST registrations, and FSSAI licences. Compliance with safety measures like functioning CCTV cameras, metal detectors, and baggage scanners was also reviewed. The police discovered that eight hotels lacked a valid fire NOC, while seven hotels were operating without a basic trade licence. As many as 22 hotels did not possess the mandatory FSSAI licence required for serving food in the hotel. Seven hotels had not been updating guest data with the city police's Visitor Monitoring System (VMS), a key tool for tracking the movement of suspicious individuals arriving in the city. The police have begun coordinating with relevant departments to initiate action pertaining to the violations. Mr. Bagchi, in a release, stated that such raids will be conducted randomly as part of crime prevention and security measures.
The Hindu
20-05-2025
- The Hindu
81 suspects involved in 98 crimes arrested and property worth over ₹ 1 crore recovered in April, says Visakhapatnam Police Commissioner
As many as 81 persons, who were allegedly involved in 98 offences during April 2025, were arrested by the various teams of the city police, said Commissioner of Police Shankabratha Bagchi during a press conference here on Tuesday. Mr. Bagchi said that during April, 123 property offences were reported in the city under various heads, in which the police teams were able to detect 98 using technical methods. Property worth ₹45,78,580 was recovered from the offenders in these cases, he said. Apart from it, as many as 380 stolen and missing mobile phones worth ₹54 lakh were also recovered by the police teams, he said. The total worth of the recovered property was over ₹1 crore, he added. Mr. Bagchi said that out of 98 detected cases, one case was robbery, five cases were of House Bulgary (HB) by Day, five cases were of HB by Night, 10 cases were of snatching, 54 cases were of motorcycle theft and remaining 23 cases were ordinary thefts. He said that the recovered property include about 562 grams of gold, 701 grams of silver, ₹7.84 lakh cash and around 54 motorcycles. 482 CCTV cameras Mr. Bagchi said that as part of preventive measures, 482 CCTV cameras were installed in various places of city during April. As many as 156 crime awareness meetings were conducted by the crime wing officers, who created awareness among the public about the types of crimes, criminals and about importance of installing CCTVs. Special patrolling was conducted in crime-prone areas with the crime teams during day and night time. Drones were also used at 82 different places during day time as well as at 88 places during night time for surveillance and keep a vigil on suspected criminals, he added. During the programme, the police personnel handed over the recovered property to the victims, who expressed happiness.
The Hindu
11-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Hindu
AC helmets to help Vizag traffic police personnel beat the heat
The traffic police personnel in the city have received air-conditioned helmets to beat the summer heat while on duty. The helmets were provided by a Noida-based company as part of its CSR initiative. 'For the first time, the traffic police in Andhra Pradesh got AC helmets,' said Police Commissioner Shankabratha Bagchi after distributing them at a programme at the Police Conference Hall on Saturday. Mr. Bagchi said that 30 AC helmets had been distributed among the traffic police personnel so far. The helmets were manufactured by Poly Propylene Co-polymer material and work with Active Cooling technology, he said, adding that the helmets, weighing 740 grams each, will work for about eight hours if kept charged for four hours. The Police Commissioner also reminded that 220 cool jackets had also been distributed among the traffic police personnel to beat the summer heat. In the coming days, 40 more jackets will be distributed, he added.
