29 New Police Stations for Delhi - Centre

Taking note of the growing needs of the metropolitan city of Delhi, the Centre has sanctioned 29 new police stations for the Capital, raising the total number of police stations in the city to 155.

Announcing this here on Tuesday, Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram said the Centre has also sanctioned an additional 6,478 policemen for Delhi Police at a cost of Rs.199.15 crore every year.

The Centre’s nod to the Delhi Police to augment its strength and add new police stations comes as the city is all set to play host to the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

Delhi Police Commissioner Y. S. Dadwal, who was present at the press conference, said there would be a paradigm shift in the way of policing the Capital and bringing about a total control over crime situation.

Challenges

Mr. Chidambaram said that approval was given to the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) to raise 38 new battalions, including two women battalions. The addition of these battalions will raise the strength of the CRPF to 245 battalions and the sanctioned manpower to more than three lakh personnel under one command.

On Left Wing extremism, Mr. Chidambaram reiterated the two-pronged approach of development and police action. “However, the naxalites are anti-development and therefore deliberately target developmental activities. Our response, therefore, will be police action to wrest control of the territory that is now dominated by naxalites, restoration of civil administration and undertaking developmental activities,” he said.

The Minister said the Centre would encourage State Governments to talk to the naxalites on condition that they give up their misconceived “armed liberation struggle”. This approach was endorsed by the seven State Governments present at August 17 meeting of the Chief Ministers on internal security, he added.

The Centre has also sanctioned release of special assistance under a Central scheme for setting up seven temporary Counter Insurgency and Anti-Terrorism (CIAT) schools during 2009-10 to the State Governments of Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Orissa.

While two CIAT schools each would be set up in Assam and Bihar, the other three States will set up one such school each.