To cope with problems resulting from strike of the Patwaris who keep boycotting police work in support of their pending demands, the district magistrates have deployed police in some revenue areas while in some other places, the Nayab Tehsildars have been empowered to take FIRs and complete the investigation if cases are reported in their assigned areas.
Meanwhile, the Patwaris of the state keep striking policing work since October 2, demanding advanced equipment as provided to the civil police, increase in number of outposts and allocation of budgets for them among others. The strike would continue infinitely till the demands are addressed, they warned
Rudraprayag DM Raghav langar said that in view of the Patwaris’ indefinite strike, civil police forces have been deputed in Rudraprayag area, albeit on a temporary basis, while in Ukhimath and Jakholi, Nayab Tehsildars have been empowered to carry out policing work and complete investigation if cases are reported by the complainants. As of now, the Patwaris are only doing the revenue- related work, he added.
Uttarakhand Parvatiya Patwari/Revenue Police Cadre Employees’ Federation general secretary Shankar Dutt Kapri had recently said the British government had introduced revenue police in 1861 with the creation of three posts like revenue inspector, revenue sub-inspector and a fourth class employee to collect revenue from the residents and to check crimes while maintaining law and order in the mountainous parts.
He further said that around 50-60 per cent of the posts in the revenue are vacant and no initiative is being taken by the State Government to fill them. According to him, apart from constructing buildings, the government should provide for lockers, hand-cuffs, computers and other equipment to deal with the crime cases being reported now-a- days. It should be mentioned here that Uttarakhand has a dual policing system. In some areas, the work is being done by the regular police while in the hilly parts, it is being done by revenue police. The area under the revenue police is 61 per cent of the total area of the state. There are 125 police stations and 138 out- posts in the state while the number of reporting outposts is 112.