Mangalore: DK has only 35 policemen per one lac people - lowest in state
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SP)
Mangalore, May 13: It is strange but true. Dakshina Kannada (DK) district, which has witnessed various cases of communal unrest, illegal cattle trafficking, raids on certain places etc, apart from naxal activities, has the lowest per capita ratio of policemen in the state.
As against the accepted standard of 200 police personnel per lac of population, the district has only 35 personnel for every one lac population.
The above fact was given by the district superintendent (SP) of police, Abhishek Goyal.
Goyal pointed out that the district lacks in terms of number of policemen, and also number of police stations. He mentioned that Udupi, which has only three taluks, has 22 police stations, while DK district has only 13 stations.
“Out of 450 police posts sanctioned to the district, 50 posts have remained vacant since long. Proposals sent for increasing the number of police stations, and appointment of police personnel, have not yielded any positive results,” he explained.
The SP pointed out that the post of additional SP has remained unfilled since June 2012. Puttur sub-division, which was the only sub-division functioning in the district, was recently split into two, by creating an additional subdivision. Now, one of these sub-divisions supervises police stations in Puttur and Sullia taluks, while the other looks after Bantwal and Beltangady taluks. Deputy superintendents of police, Sadanand Varneker and H D Mendonca, are heading these sub-divisions, he informed.
He further explained that the proposals recommending setting up of a traffic police station at B C Road, and converting police outposts in Dharmasthala, Nelyady, and Farangipet, into full-fledged police stations, have not been considered favourably till now. The work on constructing a traffic police station building near the town station has begun, while building has been sanctioned for Sullia police station, where work is yet to start. The building sanctioned for Uppinangady could not be taken up for want of suitable site, as we have only ten cents land at Uppinangady as against the requirement of 15 cents, he added.
The SP said that recommendations have been made to post 20 additional policemen each to Beltangady and Venoor police stations, which have naxal-infested areas under their jurisdiction.
Goyal said that closed circuit television cameras have been fitted in all the checkposts in the district, apart from Venoor, Kadaba, Punjalakatte, and Beltangady police stations. He added that the governing councils of temples concerned in Dharmasthala and Subrahmanya have been requested to fit high capacity CCTV cameras.