Only one Social Media Monitoring Cell to check misuse of platform
*No action on many recommendations of Review Committee
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Feb 11: As many as 79 Police Stations in the sensitive Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir don’t have telephones while as 17 are without wireless facility even after huge assistance provided by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs for Modernization of Police Force. Moreover, there is only one Social Media Monitoring Cell despite the fact that this platform is being widely misused by the anti-national and anti-social elements to disturb peace and tranquility.
This has been revealed by the Parliamentary Standing Committee headed by Congress leader Anand Sharma in its report tabled in the Parliament, the copy of which is available with EXCELSIOR.
Notwithstanding the fact that modern policing requires strong communication support for quick reaction in any adverse situation, a very sensitive border Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir is having a sizeable number of Police Stations which don’t have telephones and wireless sets.
As per the report, 79 Police Stations in J&K were lacking telephone facility while as 17 were without wireless sets as on January 1, 2020 and in the absence of these basic facilities how promptly the police personnel posted in these units are reacting to any law and order situation remains a million dollar question.
“Such a sizeable number of police units were lacking these facilities despite the fact that huge funds were provided to Jammu and Kashmir Government for years together under the scheme of Modernization of Police Force”, the report said. The Parliamentary Panel has recommended that Ministry of Home Affairs should direct the Jammu and Kashmir Police to equip these Police Stations with adequate and latest communication devices as early as possible.
Though in Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory the social media platform is being widely misused by the anti-national and anti-social elements to disturb peace and tranquility yet there is only one Social Media Monitoring Cell as such the Parliamentary Panel has recommended that sufficient number of such cells should be established to tackle different types of crimes.
“The policing system is rural areas is different from that of urban areas and to strengthen the policing at the village level the Mooshahary Committee had recommended that the traditional system of village policing should be reviewed and revamped. However, Jammu and Kashmir has partially implemented this recommendation”, the Parliamentary Panel has pointed out.
It is pertinent to mention here that Chapter VII of Mode Police Act, 2006 provides for model law about “policing in rural areas and village police system”. The provisions/clauses include enlistment of Village Guard, Village Defence Parties and Community Liaison Groups.
Further, the Mooshahary Committee had recommended outsourcing of certain police functions on the ground that apart from investigation and law and order duties, police personnel have been entrusted with various divergent responsibilities such as traffic management, disaster rescue, removal of encroachments etc. It had asked the Ministry of Home Affairs to ensure that non-policing activities like serving of summons should be out-sourced to free more policemen for investigation and law and order duties.
However, Jammu and Kashmir has partially implemented this recommendation, the report said, adding “the J&K has not agreed for several other important recommendations of the committee and these pertain to age of recruitment and educational qualifications and replacement of existing orderly system”. Likewise, recommendation vis-à-vis work study of Police Stations to arrive at manpower norms in a scientific manner is still under consideration of the Jammu and Kashmir Police.
As per the report of the Parliamentary Committee, the actual total police per lakh of population is 610.25 in Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory as against the sanctioned strength of 687.73. “The shortage of staff has a direct bearing on the efficiency of the police and the workload of the existing staff increases forcing them to do work overtime, most of the time in stressful and trying circumstances”, the Parliamentary Panel said.
It has recommended that Ministry of Home Affairs should advise the Union Territory to conduct police recruitment drives and remove the administrative bottlenecks for the recruitment of police personnel at different ranks in a time bound manner.
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