Kozhikode: The number of migrant labourers arriving in Kerala has been going up considerably of late. It is estimated that each year a few lakh workers arrive in Kerala from Hindi-speaking states and eastern parts of the country. The influx has brought about challenges of sanitation, housing, health and law and order. Police personnel in rural Kozhikode are busy learning spoken Hindi to engage effectively with migrant labourers.
The idea to start spoken Hindi classes for selected police personnel sprouted during a debriefing session, when the personnel of the Janamaithri police informed that they faced difficulty in dealing with the migrant labourers living in groups, especially in the eastern part of the rural district, says nodal officer and Narcotics cell DySP Aswakumar K.
“I am the nodal officer for the Janamaithri Suraksha project here. As part of the project, two police personnel from the 21 stations in the rural district would conduct visits to the nooks and corners of the district from Monday to Friday. This includes house visits and even providing palliative care to the needy. So, during one of those visits, the police personnel found that communication was difficult with the labourers from other states, especially with people who speak Hindi. They also expressed their willingness to learn Hindi to deal with the situation,” the DySP said.
The authorities have engaged two teachers from the nearby schools to teach 42 police personnel on every Saturday at the district headquarters in Vadakara. The first class started on June 23 and will continue until the cops are confident of speaking effortlessly to the Hindi-speaking people, added the DySP.
Apart from the 42 beat officers, those who are ready to learn spoken Hindi, are also attending the classes.
Initially, the classes are for one hour, and if they wish to continue for more sessions, they are ready to extend it, said the officer.
The teachers engaged for Hindi coaching are Padmarajan from RNM High School, Narippatta, and Satheesh Babu from CKG Higher Secondary School, Chingapuram, the DySP informed.
