Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has slammed the UP government for ignoring to provide proper training, arms and ammunition and other facilities to the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS), Special Task Force (STF) and Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) which could lead to serious risk on the safety and security of the people of the state during any terrorist or naxal attack.
The CAG report revealed that not a single Commando deployed in the ATS had been given full training as per the norms and the objective to establish a commando unit in the state on the line of National Security Guard (NSG) to combat terrorism.
The report of the CAG on Special Police Forces Modernisation ending March 31, 2016, was tabled in the UP assembly last week, states that the commando training school in lucknow, counter insurgency and anti-terrorism school at Mirzapur and four commando hubs at Agra, luck now, Meerut and Varanasi could not be completed even after five years due to state government’s failure to acquire land and ensure construction in a time bound manner. “Such lackadaisical attitude of the state government in the matter of building capacities and ensuring preparedness for taking effective anti-terrorist measures and counter insurgency operations is serious threat to the safety and security of the people of the state,” it commented.
The report said that the state government had also informed the auditor in February 2017 that the proposal for sanction of posts, construction of building, procurement of vehicles, procurement of arms and communication and other things are pending.
The CAG report said that during the audit it was noticed that not a single personnel got full commando training required for becoming a commando. “Training for only pre-induction course was provided to 228 personal during 2009-12 whereas no training was provided during 2012-16. Thus adequate numbers of Commandos have not been trained as planned to effectively handle difficult security situations, such as terrorist attack,” said the report.
In another lapses, against the proposed commando strength of 2000, which was yet to be sanctioned by the UP government, only 79 PAC personnel were working with ATS as on September 2016 in temporary Commando Training Schools (CTS). Surprisingly, only 43 personnel were trained in 2009-10 and one constable trained in 2011-12 were working with the ATS but no commando who had been trained in temporary CTS was working in either with the STF or Security branch. The UP government had informed the CAG that 103 Commandos are posted with ATS. In another revelation, the CAG said that during audit, it was noticed that ATS did not get ammunition as per their requirements. Arms like 9mm , MP5, 12 Bore PAG, Hand Grenade, Stun Grenade and UBGl were provided first time to ATS during 2013-15 but ammunition for these weapons were not provided except hand grenade which was also not as per requirement.
In Special Task Force (STF) of the UP police, more than 50 per cent of the sanctioned posts are vacant. Against the sanctioned 472 post of officers only 234 are filled thus seriously impeding the capability of the STF to fight the organised crime and mafias activities in the state. The report has also questioned the serious flaw in lack of manpower in the PAC where against the sanctioned strengthen of 273 companies, there are just 200 companies functional on date. Of the remaining 73 companies, 19 companies have not been raised at all and 54 companies though raised have not been functional. There is shortage of around 18 per cent of security personnel including its support staff in the PAC which comes around 6777. The PAC also has shortage of 145 vehicles. Against the required vehicles of 1,189 including 819 trucks, it has only 1, 044 including 689 trucks. like other forces PAC too is facing shortage of security equipments like bullet proof jackets, bullet proof helmets, body protector and other equipment reducing their efficiency during riots or other violent situation. Against the need of 10,080 bullet proof jackets, the availability was only 1,913 and thus a shortfall of 81 per cent while there are only 209 bullet proof helmet against the need of 10,080 which is short by 98 per cent. PAC also has shortage in arms which includes 5.56 INSAS lMG, Anti-Riot Gun, Tear Gas Gun, 51mm mortar and AK 47 rifle which ranges between 33 to 68 per cent.