With the district jails of Uttarakhand facing staff crunch of around 75 per cent, Uttarakhand police has now started the selection process for 50 policemen meant to be sent to jails on deputation.

The State Government has recently declared to provide 30 per cent extra allowances based on their salaries to the policemen who will be deputed to duties in the jails. However the State police have not received any written order on the matter. 

State DGP BS Sidhu said that the selection process of policemen to be sent on deputation in jails has been started. They would be selected from those presently in Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) and civil police who are interested to be thus deputed. An order has been issued to the police officers concerned to send a list of such interested policemen. The names of the selected candidates will be forwarded to the department concerned, he said.

However, a Haridwar jail officer said that the crunch they have been facing for many years would not be solved with the initiative state police is taking.  What is needed is recruitment for the vacant posts at various levels of the hierarchy, he said.

Sources said that shortage of jail officials, including jail superintendent, jailor, deputy jailors, head warders, warders and female warders, has been leaving an adverse impact on the functioning of jail administration.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat had recently directed the state administration officials to draft a plan, laying emphasis on modernisation of jails in the state. At the same time, Rawat instructed the officials to start filling up around 300 vacant posts immediately.