BHUBANESWAR: The
Odisha police moved the state home department, seeking approval to start highway patrolling project on five stretches on pilot basis. The routes identified for the proposed highway patrolling system are Jaleswar--Ichhapuram, Bhubaneswar--Puri, Sambalpur--Sohela, Manguli--Sambalpur and Sambalpur--Rourkela.
Director general of police R P Sharma said the police headquarters has urged the home department to provide manpower and logistics for the proposed project. “Though our personnel have been conducting patrolling on highways, we have planned a dedicated unit of highway patrolling,” Sharma told TOI. The police headquarters has proposed to the government to create at least 522 posts of police personnel in different ranks to manage the highway patrolling project. Official sources said at the state police urged creation of posts for 108 sub-inspectors, 216 constables, 138 assistant drivers and 60 attendants for the proposed project. Besides, the government has been requested to provide logistics like 10 ambulances and 36 Bolero vehicles for successful run of the project.
“We are hopeful that the state government would consider our proposal to start the highway patrolling project. Presence of the highway patrolling teams will not help check highway crimes, but can also quickly respond to road accident victims,” additional director general of police (modernisation) Vinaytosh Mishra told TOI.
At present, at least 16 numbers of national highways, covering 3592.932 km traverse through the state. Poor patrolling usually prompted anti-socials to commit crimes like robbery and snatching at different places in the state. To prevent highway robbery and ensure that the commercial vehicles smoothly transport their consignments, the commissionerate police recently advised truck owners to install CCTV cameras and GPS-enabled tracking system in their vehicles. A stretch of the NH-16, covering nearly 20 km from Pitapalli to Palasuni, falls under the commissionerate police area in the capital city. Police are on the toes as highway robbers keep targetting goods containers in regular intervals. Highway robberies in Bhubaneswar came down to 34 in 2017 from 47 reported in 2016. Police said companies and transport agencies can inform local police stations in advance about movement of expensive consignments, including cash-laden vans on the NH in night.
On January 7, 2017 the Khandagiri police here arrested two engineering students for allegedly committing highway robberies. On February 6, 2017 the commissionerate police arrested six highway robbers following exchange of fire at Khamang under Balianta police limits. Armed miscreants on June 10, 2016 stalked a couple and gunned down the biker near Patanaikia on Bhubaneswar-Puri national highway to loot their articles.
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