In times of crisis all of us want to be in our homes, with our families. It doesn’t matter for how long a person is living at a new place. This became quite evident when nationwide lockdown was imposed during the pandemic last year and again this year. Many people, including students studying in far-away towns and cities and migrant wanted to go back to their home towns. While some of them managed to, many other got stranded wherever they were.
Something on these lines happened in Nagaon, Assam. A number of bus driver from Kerala brought migrant workers back in Nagaun but they themselves got struck here due to the lockdown. However, there was one officer to look upon for help and he didn’t disappoint them. IPS officer Anand Mishra who recently got transferred from Dhubri to Nagaon as the SP took care of all the bus staffs and helped them to go back to Kerala.
In a conversation with Indian Masterminds, Mr Mishra spoke about the problems with the drivers and also highlighted the efforts of his team in reducing the narcotics activities.
Bus drivers didn’t want to return with empty buses
This was not the first time that the drivers from Kerala had come to Assam. They provide regular services for the people from Southern states who wish to eke out a living in the North-East region. This time, they had also brought with them the migrants who had been working in Kerala.
Said Mr Mishra, “While they reached Nagaon with their vehicles, the lockdown happened and they were left with no passenger to return to Kerala. Technically they were not stranded. The issue was majorly economical as they didn’t want to go back with empty buses. It would have caused them huge loss. Meanwhile, the local agents had promised to provide them with passengers. The problem started when the agents went out to rope in more and more buses. They wanted to earn commissions and money for the parking and all from the bus owners. Things got messed up and the agents started pounding on the drivers. This led to the insecurity in the drivers and conductors about their safety.
During one these fights between the travel agents and the drivers, two videos were made put on social media- and these become viral. This also made the police alert to the evolving situation. Mr. Mishra had landed the same day in district to join as the SP. He first visited the bus stand, talked with all the drivers & conductors from Kerala, comforted them assured them full security.
Mr Mishra deployed police picket on the bus stand, making it clear that the drivers must not be harassed any more. He then tied up with some NGOs to provide them meals thrice a day. Besides this, the bus staffs also went through covid-19 tests and medical facilities were ensured in coordination with the District Administration regulations. After that the matter was taken between Assam & Kerala government.
The drivers were also demanding economical assistance but since they were part of commercial venture, it couldn’t be done. The administration advised them to take help from bus owners who could provide them money for fuel etc. The government provided some additional facilities and most of the buses were escorted to their home state. Mr. Mishra coordinate the whole process and talked with several toll plazas. He says that few of them are still here in hope for passengers but they are free to go. Even if they stay, the security is ensured by the police.
Waged War against drugs
It is hardly a month since Mr. Mishra joined as the SP, Nagaon. However, he has already waged a war against drug & illicit licker mafia. By creating anti-narcotics squad and bike riders team, he and his team has been able to put 180 people behind bars and 70 cases have been registered. A huge amount of drugs & thousands of litres of liquor has been seized.
Talking about it he said, “Nagaon has become a hot bed for narcotics activities. Drugs from the South-Asian countries & cannabis from Arunachal Pradesh are smuggled here in huge amount. Apart from this, black marketing of prescribed drugs through various normal pharmaceuticals channel also takes place here. It has become the biggest problem lately. But with our squad we have reduced the response time significantly and are hitting all the mafias quite hard”.
These are just a few things Mr Mishra is working on to set the law and machinery right in Nagaon. His no-nonsense and compassionate approach has endeared him to people. That was the main reason why, when he was transferred out from Dhurbi, the people there gave him an emotional farewell.
