The future of City Patrol Unit hangs fire as the date of DGP BS Sidhu’s retirement is drawing near.
He is slated to retire on April 30, unless he is given extension which a most unlikely possibility under the Central regime.
No Government order has been passed to regularise the specialised unit that was conceived and brought into being at the sole initiative of Sidhu, inspired as he was with model existing in USA.
It is learnt that a section of the bureaucrats is not well-disposed towards the unit, a reservation that keeps the regularisation of the unit hanging in balance.
CPU was formed in Dehradun in April, 2014. Same units came up later in Haridwar and Haldwani as the works of the unit in stopping traffic rule violations won accolades from several quarters.
However, with the State Government strongly reluctant to open its purse strings, it is being run on the resources of the State police, something that makes its future uncertain and unviable.
The committee on road safety constituted by the Supreme Court of India had earlier appreciated the role played by the CPU personnel in three districts of Uttarakhand.
It has courted controversies too in its chequered career for its alleged highhandedness. It has invited ire of the political parties and the common residents who faced the heat for violating traffic rules.
Worse, the shopkeepers in Dehradun are vociferous, demanding dismantlement of CPU, alleging they are milking money out of the vulnerable.
Most interestingly, after two incidents wherein CPU personnel had scuffled with relatives of senior BJP and Congress leaders reported few months ago, the party activists of both vented ire against CPU for harassing and exploiting the common people.
However, there is little doubt that CPU remains discernible in Dehradun city with the people who used to flout traffic rules with impunity previously being forced to comply with swift punitive action hanging over them. Those driving two-wheelers are being seen with helmets on-a sight which was rare previously.
However, the hostility CPU had generated among the cross-section of the people and particularly among the high and mighty resulted in the power to run it from the SP at PHQ to the Garhwal and Kumaon ranges. Following this, the on-the-road visibility of the unit has decreased considerably.
Things mired in uncertainty with the time of Sidhu’s exit from the scene approaching, some CPU personnel sound apprehensive of their future postings.
“Maybe, it would wither away with time as there is no government rules and manuals to support its existence,” said one of them despairingly.
A section of the common people says that it would be a pity in case the unit is done away with. “Doubtless, it has controlled to some extent the people who used to flout traffic rules with impunity previously,” said Ramesh, resident of Vani Vihar (Dehradun).
Another resident from the city Ram Singh said the unit was not as visible as it had been for reasons unknown. “Maybe, the politicians running the show have made it go slow and soft as its ruthless actions to make all, irrespective of status, adhere to the rules angered many of the mighty class. However, its less visibility is compounding things for the law-abiding commuters,” he added.
Things are indeed gloomy in the CPU camp. A CPU member said they had been assured by senior cops of being given extra 30 per cent of their actual salary. No step had followed to act on the assurance, he said, adding that such nonchalance would de-motivate them. Many said it is better to work in police station nearer their native places than sweating it out on the roads to do things for nothing in return, said another of CPU personnel despondently.
The personnel claim that their achievement was not little. As per statistics, CPU had imposed more challans under Motor Vehicle Act on the traffic violators than traffic police which is traditionally entrusted with the task of bringing to book and imposing penalties on the traffic rule violators, they say.
However, on the flipside, the critical refrain running against them is still audible. One Kishan Rawat said that CPU had acquired notoriety for extorting money from the people instead of focusing on maintaining traffic norms or preventing crimes.
An incident happened in Nainital district sometime back that brought bad name for the unit. Four, including one sub-inspector and two constables from City Patrol Unit (CPU), were arrested from Kathgodam for their alleged involvement in looting a businessman, Anup Aggarwal, native of Bareilly (Uttar Pradesh) of Rs 7.94 lakh. Subsequently, a case was registered under sections 394/120b/411/342 of IPC against CPU sub- inspector lalit and CPU constables- Ganesh and Virendra Chandra- from Kathgodam police post.