THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Police officers at Varkala police station do not confine themselves to maintaining law and order but also try their hand in farming and they prove they can be good at it.
It was almost a year ago when the new police station was constructed, assistant sub-inspector Jayaprasad B, who also holds the charges of PRO and Janamaithri beat officer, had the idea of initiating cultivation in the 10-15 cents of wasteland covered with weeds adjacent to the station.
With an aim to utilize the land for some good cause by removing the weeds and to provide fresh and organic vegetables to the public, Jayaprasad and his colleagues set up an organic vegetable garden on the premises of the station.
During their first harvest itself, they could reap vegetables much to their satisfaction.
The harvest was distributed among the police officers, locals and even the complainants.
Interestingly, people who visit the station to lodge complaints were given a vegetable kit along with the receipt.
Over seven to ten varieties of vegetables, including chilly, tomato, cabbage, spinach, palak, ladies finger are being cultivated in this police vegetable garden with bamboo fence.
For the purpose of easy irrigation, drip irrigation system has been employed.
Police have also set up a fish pond on the premises of the station.
“Varkala station has become the first police station to have a fish pond on its premises.
Fish farming was very successful and we could cultivate and harvest ‘Silopi’ fish,” said Jayaprasad.
Apart from keeping the station eco-friendly, the police station has an attractive children’s park.
The compound walls of the station are filled with nearly 100 pictures carrying social awareness messages on varied issues like child labour, dowry, etc.
On June 5, in connection with the World Environment Day observance the police team also set up a ‘Pachathuruthu’.
As part of it, saplings of varied indigenous plants have been planted in the new green space.
“Amid the tension of our job, this garden gives us great solace.
All police officers in the station have joined with me in the process of cultivation.
And our yields are not meant for commercial sale rather we happily give them away to the public.
We too take it to our homes.
We also receive support from officials of Varkala Krishi Bhavan,” said Jayaprasad.