BHUBANESWAR: Advent of modern technology has made many articles redundant. The Jeep, which was once the vehicle of choice for the police across the country, faces the threat of oblivion today. Doffing their collective hat to the four-wheel workhorse,
Jagatsinghpur district police in the state have decided to preserve the lone Jeep they have.
The Jeep was given a farewell touch just a few days ago.
The vehicle has been placed atop the one-storey building of Jagatsinghpur
reserve police office.
“We decided not to dispose and auction the jeep that had been in service for over 15 years. We want to keep the old memory alive. People and police personnel in the next generation will get a feel of it once they look at the Jeep,” Superintendent of Police (Jagatsinghpur) Jai Narayan Pankaj told TOI.
Sources said Jagatsinghpur police has the lone jeep that is on display now. The jeep was taken to a nearby garage for denting. A fresh coat of blue colour was applied on the jeep's corroded body before it was mounted on a crane atop the building for public display.
Jagatsinghpur SP said they would obtain a special permission from the police headquarters not to auction the jeep. “We usually auction unfit vehicles. But we will request the
Director General of Police to allow us preserve the jeep,” Pankaj said.
Doorless jeeps that had featured in a number of movies where police officers were seen sitting in style with one foot outside the vehicle were replaced by more advanced
Bolero and SUMO some years ago. Bolero and SUMO vehicles are being mostly used by personnel in police stations for patrolling and other duties.
IPS officers, who also used to travel in jeeps several decades ago, currently use luxurious sedan cars and SUVs. At present only few jeeps are left in the active service as almost all jeeps were auctioned over the years.
A total of 440 unfit police vehicles of different makes were auctioned last year. The police earned nearly Rs 1.31 crore revenue from the sale proceeds of the auctioned vehicles.