Maya clears memorial police force, sans Guv nod

The Uttar Pradesh cabinet on Friday cleared a proposal for recruiting 1,200 retired army personnel to protect the Bahujan Samaj Party memorials in Lucknow and Noida.

The Uttar Pradesh cabinet on Friday cleared a proposal for recruiting 1,200 retired army personnel to protect the Bahujan Samaj Party memorials in Lucknow and Noida.

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The meeting, presided over by Chief Minister Mayawati, took the decision to go ahead with raising the force without waiting till Governor B.L. Joshi okayed the State Special Zone Security Force Bill, 2010.

The Bill is pending with the governor for more than a month, as Joshi raised objections to arming the force with unlimited powers of arrest, search and seizure without warrant.

But the force, which will entail an annual expenditure of Rs 9 crore, will not be able to enjoy the unlimited powers till Joshi passes the Bill.

Cabinet Secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh said on Friday that the government had executive powers to make such recruitments. But he said the government would wait for the governor’s decision on the Bill.