Big challenges ahead for new DIG Vartika Katiyar
Following the retirement of BS Lokesh, the former Inspector General of Police of Ballari zone on April 30, Vartika assumed the position that remained unfilled since then.
The Ballari zone encompasses Ballari, Vijayanagara, Koppal, and Raichur districts, featuring significant locations including the Unesco World Heritage Site Hampi, iron ore mines at Ballari and Sandur, Tungabhadra dam in Koppal, thermal power stations in Ballari and Raichur, and lengthy borders with Andhra Pradesh and Telangana states.
As a result, there was a rise in interstate traffic, attracting tourists and workers from both India and abroad. Naturally, this led to an increase in crime cases, with the highest number reported in the Hampi Development Authority. The new DIG is also tasked with managing the multitude of unauthorised resorts and the range of illegal activities taking place there.
In the first week of March this year, incidents such as the sexual assault of an Israeli tourist and a local resort owner in Sanapur, located in the Gangavathi taluk of Koppal district, the murder of a tourist from Odisha, and the assault on an American national were highlighted in both national and international media.
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"Despite this, the law and order situation in the region has not seen significant improvement," accuses Gangavathi MLA Gali Janardhana Reddy.
In this context, R Hithendra, the additional director general of police (Law & Order), sent a letter to Koppal SP Ram L Arasiddi on June 30, directing him to take immediate action to safeguard foreign tourists. Nevertheless, issues such as illegal mining, unauthorised resorts, gambling, and illegal sand smuggling persist without interruption.
In the meantime, the Hampi World Heritage Area Management Authority (HWHAMA) scheduled an eviction operation for July 16 to remove illegally constructed resorts at various locations along the Tungabhadra River, including Sanapura in Gangavathi. This sparked curiosity among the local residents regarding how the new DIG will tackle this seemingly insurmountable challenge.
Additionally, Vijayanagara district also underwent administrative changes with Jahnavi S, a 2019-batch IPS officer previously serving as DCP in Mysuru, being appointed as the new superintendent of police. She replaces Dr Srihari Babu BL, who served as SP for 2.8 years and was transferred to Bengaluru as CCB DCP.
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