Mobility largely remains restricted in adverse circumstances
Numerous PPs await Govt’s formal sanction, committed funds
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, July 20: Shocking it may sound but it is a fact that majority of the Police Stations and Police Posts in the militancy-hit Jammu and Kashmir don’t have vehicles strictly as per the norms of Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D), an important wing of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. Due to this, the mobility of the cops largely remains restricted during the adverse circumstances.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that as per the Bureau of Police Research and Development, norms prescribed scale of Light Motor Vehicles (LMVs)/Motor Cycles in each Police Station is two and three respectively. Similarly, each Police Post must have at least one Light Motor Vehicle to ensure better mobility of the police personnel not only during adverse circumstances but in routine duties also.
“However, Jammu and Kashmir Police Headquarters is finding it difficult to meet these norms mainly because of insufficient funds at its disposal as a result of which majority of the Police Stations and Police Posts in Jammu and Kashmir don’t have vehicles strictly as per BPR&D prescribed scale”, sources said.
There are around 232 Police Stations and almost equal or little more number of Police Posts in Jammu and Kashmir. “Barring some Police Stations having strategic importance majority of others are having only one Light Motor Vehicle as against the prescribed number of two”, sources disclosed, adding “even several Police Stations in the border areas don’t have vehicles as per the BPR&D norms”.
“The prevailing situation is notwithstanding the fact that large number of Tata Sumos were purchased during the past some years by the Jammu and Kashmir Police Headquarters under Modernization of Police Force Scheme of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs”, sources said, adding “by making these purchases the Police Headquarters could only meet requirement of one Light Motor Vehicle of most of the Police Stations as vehicles earlier placed at the disposal of these Police Stations were condemned ones”.
In the absence of vehicles strictly as per the BPR&D norms, the mobility of the police personnel gets adversely affected particularly during the adverse circumstances, when they were even compelled to hire private vehicles to meet emergent situation, sources further revealed, adding “the situation becomes more complex when the lone vehicle at the disposal of Police Station develops some major mechanical fault”.
“The situation in respect of large number of Police Posts is also worst as not even single Light Motor Vehicle has been placed at their disposal in blatant violation of the BPR&D norms”, sources informed.
According to the sources, requirement of funds more than the routine budget was projected before the Home Department a number of times so as to place vehicles at the disposal of Police Stations and Police Posts strictly in accordance with the Bureau of Police Research and Development norms but till date no special efforts have been made in this regard.
Moreover, large number of Police Posts are functioning for the last several years without any formal sanction of the Government. “These Police Posts were created from time to time keeping in view the prevailing security situation, operational and public interests but they were not given formal sanction by the Home Department despite repeated requests from the Jammu and Kashmir Police Headquarters”, sources said.
“In the absence of formal sanction manpower is deployed in these Police Posts from the nearby Police Stations as part of internal arrangements, which is also against the norms of the BPR&D”, they said, adding “these Police Posts will get required number of manpower and committed funds for infrastructure and vehicles only when formal sanction is given by the Home Department”.
They disclosed that Police Headquarters had forwarded a consolidated proposal for creation of additional Sub-Divisions, Police Stations and Police Posts across the State in the year 2010 but the same is still under the consideration of the Government despite lapse of nearly nine years.
When contacted, several senior police officers, on the condition of anonymity, admitted that majority of the Police Stations and Police Posts don’t have vehicles strictly as per the BPR&D norms, which otherwise is the pressing need in order to maintain law and order in most effective manner.
It is pertinent to mention here that BPR&D plays crucial role in guiding the Union Ministry of Home Affairs in drafting policies and programmes for meeting the requirement of Police Forces across the country.
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