CM meets Maharashtra top cops, promises to empower force

At his first review meeting with top officials of the Maharashtra police on Wednesday, the CM promised he would empower the force to enable quick purchase of equipment.

At his first review meeting with top officials of the Maharashtra police on Wednesday, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis promised he would empower the force to enable quick purchase of equipment. He also addressed the issue of housing for police personnel.

It was recently brought to his notice that in a city like Mumbai, the force has a budget of only Rs 50,000 a year, for direct procurement of equipment. For purchases beyond this, the Mumbai police are required to follow a long-winding process that starts with issuing tenders through the office of the director general of police (DGP).

“The current system does not allow the Mumbai police to allocate even Rs 1,000 for each police station every year,” the CM said. The 45,000-strong force of the Mumbai police has 93 police stations, apart from various units of the crime branch and other branches.

Last week, Fadnavis had also asked the city police to submit requirements to enhance capacity building to tackle cybercrime.

“Empowerment must be done with minimal political interference, but accountability is must,” he said, while discussing steps to modernise the force and set up state-of-the-art labs.

Discussing the need for better housing for the police staff, he said, “The issue is critical in a city like Mumbai. We are in the process of sanctioning extra floor space index (FSI), especially for police housing colonies.”