*Shortage of vehicles, meager fuel adversely affecting mobility
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Mar 27: Shocking it may sound but it is a harsh reality that Jammu and Kashmir Police, which has been entrusted with the responsibility of maintaining hawk’s eye on anti-national elements as well as ensuring effective day-to-day policing, has paralytic limbs in many parts of the State. This is mainly because of scant regard to the preparation of Strategic Policing and Annual Action Plans, which otherwise have been flagged as most important aspects by the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD) of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs for meeting the needs of the cops at different levels.
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India have made these startling disclosures in the latest report tabled in the State Legislature today. The CAG has brought to fore numerous shortcomings right from the infrastructure available at Police Stations and Police Posts to other vital paraphernalia required for effective mobility and functioning of various police units in different parts of this border State.
These deficiencies are notwithstanding the fact that Police Stations and Police Posts are the first contact point of people in distress and efficient and effective police functioning is imperative for building public confidence and for creation of cordial police-community relations.
Presently, the State has 25 Police Districts, 195 Police Stations including two Women Police Stations, 192 Police Posts and 109 Border Police Posts. During the audit conducted by the CAG, it came to the fore that 18 Police Stations and 103 Police Posts in the State were without their own buildings and had been functioning in hired accommodation. This is mainly because inputs and requirements of the Police Stations and Police Posts had not been formally obtained while formulating budget estimates of the districts.
However, the BPRD guidelines envisage that the budgetary requirements of the police service as a whole need to be formulated by the Director General of Police and the District Superintendents of Police have to ensure that the financial requirements of each Police Station in the district are projected in the budgetary demands of the district.
The CAG has also pointed out that while the percentage of expenditure against the funds allotted by the State Government ranged between 94% and 98% during the period between 2009-10 and 2013-14, the expenditure against releases made by the Government of India under Security Related Expenditure and Modernization of Police Force schemes declined from 88% in 2009-10 to 74% in 2013-14.
What to talk of infrastructure in the shape of own buildings, large number of Police Stations and Police Posts are also lacking vehicles, which otherwise are required for effective mobility of the cops in case of any adverse security scenario.
As per the suggestions of UNDP sponsored study and accepted by the Steering Committee of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, there should be three light vehicles and three motorcycles for Urban Police Stations, two light vehicles and two motorcycles for Semi-Urban Police Stations and two light vehicles and one motorcycle for Rural Police Stations.
However, the CAG has pointed out that as against requirement of 430 Light Motor Vehicles by 195 Urban and Rural Police Stations, only 203 were available leading to shortage of 227 vehicles. Similarly, against requirement of 275 motorcycles, only 85 were available leading to shortage of 190 motorcycles. “The lack of desired level of mobility in the Police Force and the shortage of light vehicles and motorcycles was to the extent of 53% and 69% respectively”, the CAG said while disclosing that 22 Police Posts and Police Stations were without any vehicle and 28 Police Posts and Police Stations possessed condemned vehicles.
The mobility of even those Police Stations and Police Posts, which have been provided with vehicles, was also found hampered as during audit analysis it came to the fore that allotment of fuel to the vehicles was very meager as only 13% to 22% of funds allotted under the head were utilized on running and maintenance of vehicles of the Police Stations.
“The issuance of fuel to vehicles of Police Stations and Police Posts of eight test-checked districts was reduced to the extent of 17 to 40% during 2013-14 as compared to fuel issued during 2009-10”, the CAG said, adding “in seven test-checked districts fuel quota of Police Stations and Police Posts had been reduced due to hike in the prices of petrol and non-increase in allotment of funds. Due to this, the Incharge of Police Stations were asked to curtail unnecessary movement of vehicles”.
It has also been pointed out by the CAG that 152 out of 216 vehicles of Police Stations and Police Posts of test checked districts had never been repaired during the period between 2009-14 despite the fact that large number of vehicles allotted to Police Stations and Police Posts were very old and required frequent repairs.
Follow our WhatsApp channel