Hyderabad: Eighty community volunteers were on Sunday, June 14, certified as Margadarshaks – trained safety ambassadors who will work alongside the city police – as the Hyderabad City Security Council (HCSC) launched the programme’s second batch, which has already enrolled 280 participants.
The ceremony at TGICCC auditorium in Banjara Hills marked both a milestone and an expansion for the initiative, which trains citizens in public safety, emergency response, women’s safety and cyber awareness and deploys them as a bridge between residents and police support systems such as SHE Teams, Bharosa Centres and Cyber Crime units.
New push
Hyderabad Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar, who chairs the HCSC, used the occasion to announce two additions to the framework. A Police Mentors Programme will place a designated constable at every police station to guide and support Margadarshak volunteers on the ground. A separate initiative, Spandana, will function as an all-women first responder system covering schools, colleges, gated communities and offices.
Sajjanar said the programme would also rope in retired police officers, educationists and seasoned professionals to strengthen the network. “By empowering citizens to act as force multipliers, we are successfully bridging the gap between victims and support systems,” he said.
HCSC Secretary General C Shekar Reddy said the Margadarshak model reflected a proactive, collaborative approach to urban safety that Hyderabad was increasingly being recognised for.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Women Safety Wing, Lavanya NJP briefed volunteers on the boundaries of the Margadarshak role, what they should and should not do, while stressing the value of programmes that pull the police and community closer together.
HCSC Joint Secretary Khyati Naravane said the council planned to scale up the initiative in the coming months.
