https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Gully Warriors, Suraksha and A Sri Devasena

As District Collector of Adilabad, Ms Devasena devised unique and innovative ways to check the spread of Covid-19 while fulfilling all necessities of the residents
Indian Masterminds Stories

When IAS officer A Sri Devasena took charge as the District Collector of Adilabad in Telangana, she had a lot in mind. Adilabad being a tribal and sensitive district, her first priority therefore was to communicate properly with the locals and also gain their trust. 

As a first step, Ms Devasena started learning the tribals’ language. For this, she would spend two nights in a week with them, in their villages. But soon the pandemic struck. However, she continued with the language-learning for two months, till the time the Covid-19 situation became severe and the entire country was put in lockdown.  Now, her main focus was to implement the norms of lockdown and making sure that not a single person suffers in these unprecedented times. With a slew of initiatives like ‘Gully Warriors’ and `Suraksha’ Ambulances, the 2008 batch officer made the lockdown phase easy on her people. Or at least as easy as it would be humanely possible. She is currently Commissioner & Director School Education.

Ms. Devasena during a celebration

Talking to Indian Masterminds, Ms. Devasena said, “During my service in administration, I have realised that you can learn about problems from files, but for solutions, you have to be out in the field. I just relied on this learning in our fight against Corona. Since we were facing it for the first time, no one had any experience of handling it. But we knew that somehow, we had to make our plans applicable.”

Gully Warriors

In a situation like this, the youngsters could be hard to deal with. They can’t sit in their home for a long time; they tend not to take the lockdown seriously. Ms. Devasena was aware of this and she came up with a unique idea, one which would turn the lemon into lemonade. In containment zones of the district, this officer first set up an office for every 100 houses and appointed a special officer who was responsible for looking after the basic needs of the people in the area. To help those officers, 10-12 youngsters were identified and chosen as the ‘Gully Warrior’. Since, no one was allowed to come out of their house in containment area;  each Gully warrior was given responsibility of manning 10 houses.  They would ask the problems and needs of people through phone or whatsapp and pass it on to the special officer. Then they would get the care packages from the officers, consisting of food, medicine etc. and deliver these to the concerned houses.

Ms. Devasena receiving an honour for her work

Dial your Doctor and Suraksha Ambulances

Ms. Devasena was on a field visit during the lockdown when she came to know about a lady who was waiting for her delivery, but couldn’t get an ambulance. Devesena helped her get one.  After this incident, she arranged a bunch of ambulances to different areas under the ‘Suraksha’ initiative. People could call these ambulances through phone or whatsapp messages. She also initiated a dialogue with the Indian Medical Association (IMA),  and when the private doctors offered her support she started the Dial you Doctor Campaign. Under this scheme, four doctors were available in shifts for 24 hours to know the people’s problems. 

Managed the checkpost in Unlock 1

Adilabad, being the border of Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtrra, is the gateway to south and central India. It has been the hotbed of naxalite activities for several decades. In unlock one, when inter-state travelling was allowed, the main task was to manage the flow of vehicles without compromising on safeguards. 

Hundreds of vehicles used to go through the entry check-post of Adilabad. Ms. Devasena appointed a team of officers from Police, Transport, Medical and Revenue department there. They used to monitor the vehicles and issue the passes for 24 hours. An app was also used to record all the data base of vehicles and people who were crossing the check-post. At regular intervals, Ms. Devasena also used to be on the check-post to ensure everything was carried very smoothly. 

It was mainly due to her effort that during lockdown, Adilabad’s entry check-post was considered among one of the best managed check posts in the country. 


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
bureaucracy news
Major Bureaucratic Reforms on the Anvil as Centre Hires Consultant to Map Bottlenecks & Draft Roadmap - Details Inside
MTNL
MTNL Defaults on ₹8,585 Cr Bank Loans from Seven PSU Banks; Debt Soars to ₹34,484 Cr
HSL CMD Khatri
Upskill to Stay Ahead: HSL CMD Cmde Khatri’s Call to Maritime Sector at BIMSTEC 2025
IPS A.B
HC Clears Former Top Cop: Andhra Ends All Legal Action Against IPS Venkateswara Rao
Minister Sonowal
Hydrogen Tug Project Gets Boost as Minister Sonowal Backs Hindustan Shipyard (HSL)’s Vision - Details Inside
IOCL and SJVN
PESB Invites Applications for Director Posts in IOCL and SJVN; Deadlines Set for August 11
IREDA logo 1
IREDA Seeks Shareholder Nod to Raise Borrowing Limit to ₹1.5 Lakh Crore; Pushes for Massive RE Financing
Indian Police Services IPS Officer
Punjab Promotes 8 IPS Officers to DGP Rank, Now Has Nation’s Highest Number of Top-Rank Police Officers
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
promila gupta
The Secret of The Secret – How To Make The Universe Conspire For You
AI 171 CRASH
AAIB Initial Probe In AI-171 Crash Questioned By Aviation Experts
Ravi Kapoor
Why Ex-IRS Officer Ravi Kapoor Walked Away from Power
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
WhatsApp Image 2025-07-14 at 15.58
The Economist Who Became an IFS Officer
How Abhimanyu Gahlaut balanced global economics and civil services dreams to crack UPSC with AIR 38
Disha Dwivedi UPSC
How Disha Dwivedi Conquered UPSC on Her Sixth Attempt
Disha Dwivedi’s UPSC journey from five prelims failures to securing AIR 672 in 2024 showcases strategic...
Sushmitha and Ishwarya Ramanathan
Their Home Was Washed Away — Sushmitha & Ishwarya Built a Legacy Instead
Sushmitha and Ishwarya lost their home to the 2004 tsunami. But with books, belief, and each other, they...
Social Media
Standing Leopard
Leopard Stuns Internet by Standing on Two Legs Like a Meerkat
A rare video of a leopard standing on two legs in Kruger Park stuns viewers and goes viral across social...
G S Roshni
Kerala’s Fearless Forest Officer G.S. Roshni Rescues 16-Foot King Cobra with Bare Hands, Garners Praise & Critique
Beat Forest Officer G.S. Roshni’s first-ever king cobra rescue goes viral, earning her the title of ‘Green...
Kaziranga Baby Elephant
Chotu the Baby Elephant Reunited with Mother in Kaziranga: Retired IFS Officer’s Post Goes Viral
A baby elephant's emotional reunion with its mother in Kaziranga, shared by retired IFS officer Susanta...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
bureaucracy news
Major Bureaucratic Reforms on the Anvil as Centre Hires Consultant to Map Bottlenecks & Draft Roadmap - Details Inside
MTNL
MTNL Defaults on ₹8,585 Cr Bank Loans from Seven PSU Banks; Debt Soars to ₹34,484 Cr
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
promila gupta
AI 171 CRASH
Ravi Kapoor
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT