RTI application exposes P’kula police’s shortage of personnel

Hindustan Times: Panchkula: Monday, September 30, 2013.

A reply to an application under the Right to Information (RTI) Act has revealed a massive shortage of constables at some police stations and posts in the district.

Here’s an example: The Sector-5 police station is short of 61 constables and two head constables. Of the sanctioned strength of 120 constables for the station, there are only 59 personnel here.

Vijay Bansal, president of Shiwalik Vikas Manch, procured the information. Another interesting piece of information is that there is no sanctioned strength of police personnel at the Sector-14 police station, though the station does exist. The Sector-14 police station has an inspector, a sub-inspector (SI), three assistant sub-inspectors (ASI), four head constables (HCs), and 22 constables.

The Mansa Devi police station is short of 26 constables. Against a sanctioned strength of 42 constables, only 16 are posted here.

Not even a single post of police personnel has been added at the police stations of Kalka, Pinjore and Chandimandir since 1995, when the district was carved out. Kalka police station is short of four constables.

As far as police posts are concerned, information provided under the RTI Act reveals that police posts of Sectors 2, 7 and 10, Ramgarh and Madanwala villages do not have any sanctioned strength of staff on paper.

At Sectors 2 and 7, an ASI, two HCs and four constables each have been posted, while that of Sector 10 has two head constables and three constables. Ramgarh police post has an ASI, three HCs and many constables, while that of Madanwala has three HCs and as many constables.

Barwala police post is short of three constables, while the Sector-16 police post is short of five constables. Meanwhile, the police posts at Morni, and Sectors 19 and 21 have no been sanctioned.

Surprisingly, the traffic police station in the town has higher has more personnel than that have been sanctioned for it; there are additional four ASIs, seven constables and an SI at the station. “Population has increased, so has crime. But police strength has not increased since 1995. Somehow, it seems that the police are more interested in challaning people,” said Vijay Bansal.

Contacted, Ambala-Panchkula police commissioner Rajbir Deswal said that the police commissionerate had requested the DGP to allot a company from the new recruitments. “With that, 350 constables will be added to the force. We hope deputation and temporary staff join us back,” he said.