State Government has given a blow to revenue police by deciding to set up six regular police stations in the areas where policing remains entrusted to the revenue police. This is being deemed as a retaliatory step against the recalcitrant revenue police officers and employees who kept on boycotting policing works for the past few years in support of their demands, defying the Chief Minister’s repeated appeals to withdraw the stir and resume work. However, with the High Court nudging the State Government to act on the protracted cease work agitation, the revenue police men withdrew the stir around two months ago.
Notably, the institution being started by the erstwhile British regime way back in 1861 to collect taxes and curb crimes in the mountainous areas of what is present-day Uttarakhand, the areas under the jurisdictional purview of revenue police are still large, comprising around 60 percent of the state’s territory.
The State Government has released the Government order (GO) on Saturday regarding the swapping of policing power from revenue police for regular police in six police station areas. Earlier, the Government had released GO on the formation of one police station named lamgoan in revenue area in Tehri district. The six revenue areas where regular police stations will be established are Mori in Uttarkashi, Thatyur in Tehri, Danya in Almora, Kanra, in Bageshwar, Pati in Champawat and Nachni in Pithoragarh. In addtion, a police post will be established at Madkot in Pithoragarh.
State director general of police BS Sidhu said the government had acted on the proposal they had sent for the formation of nine police stations in the revenue areas. Sidhu had earlier explained before State Cabinet ministers Pritam Singh and Yashpal Arya why such a decision had become an imperative in the changed texture of the state’s law and order scenario. Revenue police going on strike frequently is impacting law and order adversely. Besides, the staff strength of revenue police is less than what is required.
Several serious crime cases, committed in areas under revenue police being transferred to regular police are pointers to where things are moving now. All the women- related cases are being investigated by the civil police, as CM had recently directed.
A committee headed by Uttarakhand Cabinet ministers Pritam Singh and Yashpal Arya had approved the proposal of setting up six regular police stations in the revenue police areas. Setting up of two more police stations - Thalisain in Pauri district and Tyuni in Dehradun district- are under consideration of the state government, it is learnt.
Reacting sharply to the state police’s proposal to open up regular police stations in areas presently under the jurisdiction of the revenue police, Uttarakhand Pravati Patwari/Revenue Police Class Employee Federation’s general secretary Shankar Dutt Kapri had earlier said that it would be better if the State Government moved to hand over all the areas now under revenue police charge to the regular police. Arguing that the state Government was the least concerned for the revenue police despite the institution being an identity of the state, continuing since 1861, he had said that around 50 per cent posts of revenue police and 70 per cent posts of peons had been lying vacant in the revenue police area for a long time.
In order to maintain law and order and provide better administration, the State Government had earlier upgraded 20 reporting police posts to full-fledged police stations and one police station came up in Tehri. Earlier, state police had 125 post stations. The number of police stations has gone up to 152 in the state, said State DGP BS Sidhu on Saturday.
Along with releasing the government order on establishment of six police stations and one police post in revenue areas, the government also has sanctioned 107 posts of police officers and police personnel in the state. Two posts of sub-inspectors, one post of chief constable, 11 posts of constables, one constable driver and one post of fourth class employees (through out-sourcing) have been created for each of the police stations to come up. One post of sub-inspector, one post of chief constable, eight posts of constables and one post of forth class employee have also been created for one police post, it is learnt.