A small crime that cops did not notice

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The zest shown by our police in executing their duty is well-known. They would give you a shock by jumping in front of your vehicle from behind uptight curves in the name of vehicle-checking; will hurl a lathi at you to catch you red-handed when riding a bike without a helmet and will shower you with abuses for violating a traffic signal.Having said so, the same police sometimes fail to notice some ‘small’ crimes such as a 30-feet-high arch that has just sprouted in front of the Trivandrum Club, across the four-lane stretch of road between Vellayambalam and Vazhuthacaud.An existing ban, the proximity of the arch to the State Police Headquarters and the long poles that stick out of the arch posing serious danger to the motorists do not seem reason enough for the police to take swift action.Interestingly, the police personnel at the Headquarters did not even notice the giant arch that was rising right under their noses.And, what is more interesting is the fact that the arch has been erected for the promotional purpose of a programme that is scheduled to be inaugurated by Minister for Sports and Film K B Ganesh Kumar at Trivandrum Club on Friday.This means the same police who should be taking action to enforce the law and remove the structure would be standing under the same arch in vigil to ensure the smooth conduct of the programme.However, when City Express contacted the authorities, two different versions were received. The police, when contacted, said that the arch has come to their notice and action would be taken on Thursday night itself to remove it.But District Collector P M Francis said that there is no strict law that bans erecting arches across city roads and that it is possible to erect arches with the permission of the concerned authorities."The road is under the control of the Public Works Department and the organisers of the programme might have obtained permission from them,’’ the Collector said.That leaves City Express wondering why former City Police Commissioner M R Ajith Kumar had carried out a vigorous campaign in removing the arches and hoardings that posed a threat to the safety of the motorists on city roads.