Pune, Jan 1 (IANS) Pune residents, seeking police help, were in for a surprise when they called up the Police Control Room on Friday.

A gentle voice greeted them: "Hello! This is Home Minister Anil Deshmukh speaking. How can I help you?"

As the caller blurted out their complaints, Deshmukh noted down the details and then passed them onto the police station concerned for followup action.

On New Year Day, the Minister visited the Pune Police Commissionerate and interacted with the officers and staff, and lauded their hard work, and sacrifices during the pandemic and lockdown to keep the people of the bustling city - which ranks highest in terms of Covid-19 cases in India - safe.

He visited the Police Control Room and attended to a few phone calls from a police terminal, leaving the staffers bemused as he politely attended to public grievances.

As one caller complained of how someone in the neighbourhood was playing music at full blast, Deshmukh heard him patiently, noted down his details and passed them onto the local police station which swung into action.

After some more similar calls, Deshmukh appreciated the efforts of the police for the tremendous amount of work and long hours they dedicated to the public cause during the last 10 months of 2020 at great sacrifices.

Later, he visited one of the oldest and biggest prisons in the state - the Yerawada Central Jail and went around interacting with the staff and inmates there to know their problems and issues and seek suggestions.

Deshmukh also viewed some of the workshops where the inmates make different types of consumer articles, woodwork, garments, footwear and other stuff which are sold outside, and whose proceeds helps for the inmates' rehabilitation after they are released.

Talking to the media, the minister expressed concerns at the overcrowding in the jail and said the government plans to build around half a dozen modern multi-storied prisons at different places in the state including Mumbai and Pune.

"Last week we have submitted two proposals to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar for a police staff housing project and augmenting the capacity of various jails. We plan to build modern and multi-storied prisons at multiple locations and some jails already have excess space available which can be utilised for this," Deshmukh said.

The state currently has more than 30,000 inmates housed in 45-odd jails which have a capacity of around 20,000, and the move to release around 11,000 inmates on parole or furlough has temporarily helped solve the crisis during the pandemic.