'I will cherish this my entire life': Home guard felicitated by Chief Justice of TS High Court for 'good work'

Hyderabad: When the Chief Justice of Telangana High Court, Justice Satish Chandra Sharma, stepped out of his car and called for home guard Mohammad Ashraf Ali, Ashraf was confused. At first, he couldn't identify Justice Satish Chandra.

"I saw a man wearing a black robe step out of the car. He called for me. As I was walking towards him, I saw a bouquet in his hands. I was very confused. I thought maybe I did something wrong," Ashraf said.

He added, "Justice Satish Chandra handed me the bouquet and he told me 'you do good work, keep it up.'" It took a moment for Ashraf to realise what was happening. "It all happened so suddenly. I was in shock," he said.

On Friday morning, while en route to the High Court, Justice Satish Chandra Sharma felicitated home guard Ashraf Ali of the Abids police station at the Babu Jagjeevan Ram statue. He was impressed with Ashraf's performance and commitment.

"Justice Satish Chandra told me that he drives by this road every now and then and that he has been seen me often. He said he saw that I work very hard and asked me to continue to do so," Ashraf said.

He continued, "That someone so big would appreciate regular traffic police like me, feels very good. I feel very happy. It has motivated me and I will cherish this for my entire life."

Earlier, Ashraf (40) worked in the police department for almost 25 years. Two years ago, he was transferred to the Hyderabad traffic department.

Traffic cops face heat, rain, pollution

As per the World Air Quality Report by IQAir, Hyderabad is the fourth most polluted city in India. There is also a rise in particulate matter (PM 2.5) levels from 34.7 ug/m3 in 2020 to 39.4 ug/m3 in 2021 which is concerning.

According to a Greenpeace report on climate change and pollution, the PM2.5 and PM10 levels in Hyderabad are far higher than that prescribed by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The Hyderabad traffic police work in the blazing hot sun, during the chilly winters, in heavy rains, and face the year-round pollution every day. "As a traffic police officer, I am on my feet most of the day. Summers particularly are very difficult for traffic officers," Ashraf said.

"There are times when the traffic lights do not work for a few minutes and when we step in to control the traffic. Most people don't listen to us. It is a bit difficult to control the public at times," he added.

"The summer heat, noise, and sound pollution get to me a lot of times. But I have to keep my cool. It's difficult but it's the job of all traffic officers," Ashraf said.