Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Sept 1: The economic crisis faced by the country has cast a devastating shadow on Police Department of Jammu and Kashmir, whose entire budget of Rs 127 crores for current financial year of 2013-14 has been blocked by the Ministry of Home Affairs so far even as the Department was released only Rs 22 crores in the last fiscal as against the budgetary allocation of Rs 111 crores.
Official sources told the Excelsior that modernization plan of the Police Department was the worst casualty not only during the ongoing financial year but the last year as well. Various proposals, which the Police Department proposed to implement, have taken a back seat while several schemes, which were at their final leg of implementation, have run beyond schedule.
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs had allocated Rs 127 crores worth budget to Police Department of Jammu and Kashmir for modernization plan and implementation of various welfare measures for its personnel and completion of ongoing schemes aimed at making the police a more vibrant force.
However, even after the lapse of five months of current financial year, the Ministry of Home Affairs has not released a single penny to the Department for current financial year. Top brass of the Police Department have taken up the matter with the MHA and sought early release of funds for the modernization plan, sources said.
They pointed out that during the last financial year i.e. 2012-13, the MHA had allotted Rs 111 crores to Police Department. However, the Department just got Rs 22 crores i.e. Rs 89 crores less than the budgetary allocation. The Police Department before the end of last financial year had sent repeated reminders to the MHA seeking release of pending funds but to no avail.
“This time also, the situation is almost same. Five years have passed and the MHA hasn’t released a single penny for the Police Department though the allocation for modernization of the force has been raised from last year’s Rs 111 crores to Rs 127 crores,’’ sources said.
They added that modernization plan of the Police Department has been severely affected in the absence of blockade of funds by the MHA despite approval during the past financial year as well as a little less than first half of current fiscal year.
“The purchase of news weapons, vehicles and several other infrastructure for the Police Department has been affected very badly in the absence of MHA funds. Even getting petrol for the running vehicles has become an uphill task,’’ they said.
However, they disclosed that Police Department has not made any compromise with security. They said the security related requirements of the Department were being met with from the State’s budgetary allocation but the modernization proposals have severely been affected as they were mostly carried out with the MHA finances.
“The cut or delay in release of funds by the MHA was not only confined to Jammu and Kashmir. In all States, the funds have been drastically reduced even after allocation and sanction has also been delayed. This has been happening due to countrywide financial crisis,’’ sources said.
They added that the MHA shouldn’t treat Jammu and Kashmir like other States as it was badly affected by the militancy and police here not only had to deal with normal law and order situation but with the militants trained from Pakistan, which required most modern gadgetry.
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