Sindh Inspector General Police Ghulam Hyder Jamali has issued directives for providing comprehensive security cover to polio drops administering teams during the anti-polio drive starting from Jan 11, 2016.
He directed the DIGs of East, West and South Zones to ensure extraordinary security under the direct supervision of SSPs concerned. He further instructed that deployment of police commandos with polio teams be ensured specially in categorised sensitive union councils and areas.
A report compiled by AIG Operations Ghayasuddin Rashidi said that the overall 4,600 police commandos and personnel from SSU, Rapid Response Force, Sindh Reserve Police, Counter Terrorism Department, Sindh Crime Branch, Anti-Encroachment Cell, Shaheed Benazirabad Elite Police Training School Razaqabad, and Police Training College Saeedabad, RTC Hyderabad, Jam Nawaz and PTC Shahdadpur will perform security duties in addition to the existing force of Karachi police.
According to Sindh police’s spokesman, this has been done to provide foolproof security to health workers, doctors and other staff as part of polio teams, particularly in areas of sensitive union councils. These teams would administer polio drops in various parts of union councils of Karachi in coordination with the stakeholders, the spokesman added.
The IGP also directed that during this period there should be effective mobile movement of police on motor cycles besides snap and random checking at different points with strict vigil at entry and exit points along with intelligence.
ANTI-POLIO DRIVE STARTS TODAY
All the arrangements have been finalised for the anti-polio campaign in Larkana district starting from today (Monday).
More than 316,850 children of Larkana district up to five years of age would be vaccinated oral polio vaccine (OPV) during the three-day anti-polio campaign. This was stated by District Health Officer (DHO) Larkana Dr Abdul Fateh Bughio on Sunday.
He said 739 mobile teams had been constituted which would visit all the areas including the far-flung areas of the district to accomplish the task. He further said that three “roaming” polio teams had also been constituted in Larkana city to cover children during the campaign.
Dr Fateh Bughio urged the parents to cooperate with polio teams to make the campaign a complete success. He also urged religious scholars, elected representatives, NGOs and local community to make this campaign successful by exploiting their all possible efforts so that the children could be immunised against this crippling disease.