Mysuru: As Kodagu limps back to normalcy after its recent floods and landslides that claimed several lives and left the coffee land in distress, the district has two women officers, Deputy Commissioner P.I. Srividya and Superintendent of Police Suman D. Pennekar to thank for the pivotal roles they played in restoring order. Working with 1,200 personnel of different agencies, and officers from different departments, they helped in rescuing 4,300 people stranded as a result of the natural disaster that created havoc in the coffee plantations and buried hundreds of homes under mud and debris of landslides.
On Saturday, a team of 338 DySP and PSI probationeries of the Karnataka Police Academy (KPA) led by its director, Vipul Kumar, visited Kodagu and talked to Dr Pennekar about the Kodagu police’s handling of the situation. For the 33 -year -old police officer, who is an ayurvedic doctor and a 2013 batch IPS officer, Kodagu is her first assignment as SP and she had reported for duty in the district when the monsoon was at its peak, on July 15.
“I have not seen the sun shine since I came to Kodagu. It has been a huge experience, which will last me for the next ten years,” said Dr Pennekar, speaking to Deccan Chronicle. Recalling the rescue operation, she said 160 policemen and officers from Kodagu helped the rescuers at the ground level. “I got 100 additional police men every day from other districts in the southern range for VIP security. We also got 15 officers of different ranks each day from different districts of the southern range for patrolling. A 100 home guards were posted at the check post and relief centres. All senior officers, including DG Neelamani supported me in handling the situation,” she added. Meanwhile, 23 more people from relief centres returned home as Kodagu continued to receive light rainfall on Saturday.
