Gzb admin initiates additional guidelines for arms licences

Ghaziabad: Months after the fake arms licence racket came to light in August 2018, the Ghaziabad district administration has issued a set of new guidelines for issuance/cancellation

Ghaziabad: Months after the fake arms licence racket came to light in August 2018, the Ghaziabad district administration has issued a set of new guidelines for issuance/cancellation of arms licences in the district.

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District magistrate Ajay Shankar Pandey Wednesday rolled out guidelines which include timebound disposal of applications and also formed a screening committee which will keep a check on applications.

Last August, the administration and police had arrested several suspects who were preparing fake arms licences from Shahjahanpur based on which licensed arms were issued to dozens of persons, including several in Ghaziabad. After the irregularities came to light, the arms licence records in Ghaziabad have been sealed and no new arms licence has been issued since then.

“Since then, we have received 442 arms licence applications but they were sent back to police stations so that their scrutiny and verification can be taken up under the new set of guidelines. As per the new guidelines, the DM has made processing of applications timebound — they have to processed within a maximum of 30 days at police stations and within 15 days from the tehsils,” a spokesperson of the district magistrate said.

The DM has also directed that the applicant in no circumstance will be called to the office during the process of applications and officials/staff members will carry out ground-level checks instead.

“Action will be taken against officials if they are found trying to curry favour to process applications and action has also been recommended against applicants if they try to offer any favour. If any applicant gives proof that his/her application was delayed for not obliging an official, then action will be taken against the official concerned. Such applicants will be given priority,” the spokesperson said.

The DM has also formed a screening committee at the headquarters to verify all applications.

“The DM has also requested the investigation team if the arms licence records can be de-sealed. In the meantime, all 442 pending applications have been sent back to police stations to get them processed as per the new guidelines,” the spokesperson said.