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Police commissioner system for UP discussed
LUCKNOW: Amidst the controversy over a report on corruption sent by SSP Gautam Buddh Nagar (Noida) Vaibhav Krishna, who was suspended after his alleged video chat
LUCKNOW: Amidst the controversy over a report on corruption sent by SSP Gautam Buddh Nagar (Noida) Vaibhav Krishna, who was suspended after his alleged video chat had gone viral, the state government on Thursday discussed the possibilities of introducing the police commissioner system at some places in Uttar Pradesh, including Lucknow and Noida.
Speculation over introducing the commissioner system in Lucknow and Noida grew stronger as the state government is yet to post SSPs at Lucknow and Noida. On Thursday, the SSP Noida Vaibhav Krishna was suspended while Lucknow SSP Kalanidhi Naithani was transferred as SSP Ghaziabad by the state government.
A senior police official confirmed that discussion was held at the top level in the state government but things were yet to be finalised. He said the police commissioner system gave more powers, including magisterial powers, to the IPS officers of Inspector General of Police (IGP) rank posted as commissioner. He added that the police commissioner system was implemented in around 71 cities (other than Uttar Pradesh and Bihar) across 15 states in the country. As of now, the magisterial powers are with the IAS officers, he emphasised.
He said the previous state governments had contemplated introducing the system but it could not materialize as IAS and IPS officers were at loggerheads. Not once, but multiple deliberations were held and a proposal was also mooted for introducing the system in the past.
In December 2018, former UP governor Ram Naik had also suggested to the state government to seriously consider introducing the police commissioner system in Uttar Pradesh for improvement in the law and order situation. He had mentioned the suggestion in the presence of chief minister Yogi Adityanath while addressing at a police function at Reserve Police Lines in Lucknow.
Naik had suggested to the state government to introduce the system in Lucknow, Kanpur and Ghaziabad – where the population exceeds 20 lakh -- on a trial basis. He said there are 19 cities across the country where population is over 20 lakh and three of which (Lucknow, Kanpur and Ghaziabad) are in the state.
