Tenant info system set to make a comeback in Chennai

Tamil Nadu

The murder of a TCS employee by construction workers at Siruseri in February and the encounter killing of five bank robbers in 2012 ignited a cry for enumeration of migrant workers, especially north Indians, in the city.

But when the dust of reactions settled, so did the initiatives.

Following a spat of crimes a couple of years ago involving unaccounted residents, primarily migrant labourers, the city police stepped up an enumeration procedure, mainly along worksites on East Coast Road and Rajiv Gandhi Salai. Supervisors were asked to submit names and details of migrant workers to the respective police station.

Identification cards for labourers, issued by the employer, were also proposed but not initiated. However, some leading construction companies with worksites in the city have issued ID cards for their labourers, including locals.

Following the encounter killing of a gang of bank robbers in Vepery, the police introduced the tenant information system which made it mandatory for landlords to furnish information of his/her tenants, along with photographs, in a specific form available for download on the TN Police website.

The attempt to maintain a tenant database in city, however, did not work out too well, as cases were filed against the move in the High Court. But officials say they have received the required clearances, and the project is all set to resume. The police are now maintaining a register of students from other States studying in the city, in co-ordination with college authorities.

With a slew of emergency help applications and gadgets that alert your loved ones when you are in danger being introduced, the question of exactly how useful they are arises.

A search of Google Play Store and Apple’s AppStore turns up a number of such apps. They work when the owner of the phone activates the app with a trigger, such as pressing the power button twice or vigorously shaking the phone. The app then transmits the phone’s location.

Apart from one app widely advertised on television, very few seem to have more than a handful of takers. Many users also complain that they have inadvertently pressed the ‘panic button’.

“I downloaded one of these apps around a month ago, but I have alerted my contacts a few times by mistake,” Garima Singh from T. Nagar said.

Another issue that users point out in reviews is that if one is in an area with no cellular reach, these apps become useless.

When it comes to gadgets, many people are reluctant to buy them because of the cost involved, a senior police official said. There are devices that can be worn, including ones with GPS trackers, to alert others of the location, while others emit an alarm or light.

So far, there is little awareness on personal emergency devices and apps, and few of them have been properly tested in extreme conditions. In the absence of other options, it does help to use them, the official said.

Source: thehindu