But while the department is grateful to the residents for their show of generosity, a few incidents prove that the employees of the very same department have literally come in for the stick.

On the night of July 21, for instance, the Varachha police were pelted with stones when they tried to enforce a black out exercise planned by the Civil Defence Committee. Though all policemen took cover, three constables still sustained injuries in the incident.

In May, a mob pelted stones at the department, injuring a constable, when the police raided video parlours in the area. The police were also heavily stoned on January 1, when mobs from diamond units took to the streets, causing heavy damages to property in the area.

Not just this year, the police were at the receiving end late last year too, when irate labourers burnt down over 50 vehicles and damaged property at the Sri Krishna Industrial Estate after the accidental death of a labourer.

According to a police official in the traffic branch, bewildered traffic policemen now preferred getting posted anywhere other than the Varachha area. They complained that the residents flouted all traffic rules and didn't hesitate to assault them if they were stopped for the same.

``People here simply do not acknowledge that there are a set of traffic rules,'' he said, pointing to the chaos on the streets after the industrial workers came out on the roads after their shifts.

But, according to Vipul Vijoy, Additional Commissioner of police, it was not the changing attitude of the residents but the density of their population which was responsible for the situation. ``Moreover, industrialists, and not the workers of this area, donated funds for the construction of the police station here.'' he pointed out, suggesting that the department still enjoyed the same amount of affection.

Admitting that attacks on policemen were most common in Varachha, Vijoy said that the problem could be solved if the industries were spread out. ``Are there more quarrels in a general compartment or a first class compartment of a train?'', he questioned to drive home his point.

Incidentally, it was from Varachha that the Lok Samarpan Raktadaan Kendra, a voluntary blood bank, tried to make it into the Guiness Book of records for blood collection. Also, more than 1000 bottles of blood were collected in a single day by the Jai Jawan Nagrik Samiti, formed in Varachha, following skirmishes in Kargil.