Poll effect: Policing hit in Noida as 40% cops deployed in other districts

The city police are having a tough time maintaining law and order as 40% of the staff have been sent to other districts on duty for the urban local body polls. To ensure fair and peaceful election in UP, more than 900 policemen have left Noida for Meerut, Saharanpur and Bulandshahr. Shashank Shekhar reports.

The city police are having a tough time maintaining law and order as 40% of the staff have been sent to other districts on duty for the urban local body polls. To ensure fair and peaceful election in UP, more than 900 policemen have left Noida for Meerut, Saharanpur and Bulandshahr.

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The data provided by the city police shows that 100 sub-inspectors, 45 head constables and 800 constables have been sent to other districts. The police are taking the help of private security guards to maintain law and order in the city.

A police official said there was not enough staff to drive bikes meant for patrolling. Private security guards were being deployed to man PCR vans, he added. "We are already short of people and the poll duty has made it even more difficult.

But we will try to maintain 100% security in Noida," said SSP Praveen Kumar.

Even traffic policing will be hit as 50% of the policemen have been sent on poll duty. "Fifty-seven traffic policemen have already left for other districts," said a senior traffic police officer.

Girish Kapoor, secretary of Sector 48 RWA, said, "Police patrolling is hardly witnessed in the area. Outages during the night hours have added to the security threat. We have been demanding that a police post be set up in the area as the sector is open from all sides."