Noida: Gautam Budh Nagar police commissionerate has put forth a proposal to set-up six water police outposts across key riverine, canal-side, and religious locations in the district. The initiative is being planned under the direction of police commissioner Laxmi Singh, with the primary objective of ensuring public safety, effective rescue operations, and law enforcement at water bodies frequented by devotees and tourists, officials said.According to officials, as footfall around rivers and canals increases during events such as the shravan month kanwar yatra, chhath puja, durga puja, and other religious celebrations, the risk of accidents and emergencies rises significantly. The new outposts are intended to address these challenges through proactive monitoring and rapid response mechanisms, they said.As per the proposal, six such outposts will be established across the district. In the Noida zone, one outpost is proposed under the Sector 126 Police Station, located near the eastern side of the Okhla Barrage, beneath the Kalindi Kunj Yamuna Bridge. Another outpost is planned to come up in the central Noida zone under the Ecotech-3 police station along the Hindon river in the Kulesara area.The Greater Noida zone is proposed to get four outposts – one under the Knowledge Park police station in the Yamuna riverine area near Kambakshpur village, another under the Dadri police station near the Kot canal, a third under the Dankaur police station near the Kherli canal culvert, and the fourth under Rabupura police station in the Yamuna canal area near Chandigarh village.Every outpost will be staffed by a chowki in-charge along with head constables and constables. For operating two rescue boats at each location, two boat drivers and two assistant drivers will be deployed. Additionally, four to eight local private divers and disaster volunteers will be associated with each boat. The manpower strength can be increased further depending on the operational needs of the area, officials said.Officials said that core responsibilities of these outposts will include maintaining peace and law and order at ghats, managing crowds during peak gatherings, setting up barricading, and carrying out rescue operations in emergencies. Special emphasis will be placed on ensuring that boats operate strictly as per prescribed capacity limits to prevent mishaps.Water police teams will also coordinate closely with local boatmen, trained divers, and disaster response volunteers to ensure swift and effective action during emergencies. While there is no clarity yet whether or not officers police officials posted at these outposts will be required to know how to swim, officials said that provisions will be made to provide officers with necessary training to handle emergency situations.Each outpost will be equipped with modern resources and trained manpower. The infrastructure will include rubberised rescue boats, trained boat operators, assistant operators, and locally available divers and ‘Aapda Mitras’ (disaster volunteers). Training and financial support for the initiative will be provided by the Office of the Relief Commissioner, officials added.
