R K Padmanabhan (right) at New Chikhali police station, which became functional on Wednesday. (Express photo)
On June 9, two pistol-wielding men fired at two women in HA Colony, Pimpri. While the women had managed to escape, four months on, the Pimpri-Chinchwad police is yet to get any information about the accused men. The police say they are hampered by a shortage of manpower to investigate the case.
Similarly, on a stretch of the Pune-Mumbai highway has been occupied by mechanics, from where they work, affecting smooth flow of traffic and the BRTS buses. Here, too, the police say they unable to tackle the situation due to a shortage of staff.
Even as criminal cases are spiralling and traffic problem worsening, the Pimpri-Chinchwad police are unable to provide enough manpower to investigate criminal cases and ensure lesser traffic chaos on the city road, say police officials. Not just manpower and vehicles, the Pimpri-Chinchwad police say they are ill-equipped on all front.
Speaking to Pune Newsline, Pimpri-Chinchwad Police Commissioner, R K Padmanabhan said, “We are facing a shortage of 2,500 personnel. We were supposed to get after the new police commissionerate was set up, but haven’t been properly staffed,” he said.
As for the police vehicle, Padmanabhan said they have to make do with only 40 odd four-wheelers in 14 police stations.
“Compare this with Pune Police Commissionerate, which has 800 four-wheelers. There can be no comparison at all,” he said.
Asked whether the posts of police personnel have been sanctioned, “They have been sanctioned, but the government has asked us to recruit the personnel. If we start recruiting them, we will get them only after two years because the police personnel will be required to undergo training. So, recruitment and training will further delay staffing personnel,” he said. Additional Police Commissioner Makrand Ranade said besides four-wheelers, there was a shortage of two-wheelers also. “While we have 42 two-wheelers, Pune city police have around 550 two-wheelers,” said Ranade, who was with Pune Police Commissionerate before he was transferred to the new commissionerate.
Refuelling is another problem police vehicles are facing in Pimpri-Chinchwad. “We do not have our own petrol pump. Therefore, our police vehicle have to make use of the pump with Pune Police. Which means, they have to travel 50 km to and fro…,” he said.
Emphasising that the much-required police headquarters is also missing, Ranade said other requirements include the motor transport vehicle unit (empty section) for maintenance of vehicles, parking lot, bomb detection and disposal squad, investigation car, wireless section, quick response team, riot control police and water cannons.
Stating that they do not even have enough police to provide security to MLAs and MPs, Ranade said, “Though the police stations are functional, the supportive and allied services which are mandatory requirement are clearly missing,” he said.
Ranade said a total 4,000 new posts have been sanctioned for Pimpri-Chinchwad police commissionerate. “Of these, we were supposed to get 2,000 police personnel from Pune police and rural police. Most of them have joined us, only 150 remain,” he said. As for new sanctioned 2,633 posts, Ranade said they are supposed to get these police personnel in three years. “1500 in first year, 550 in second and 550 in third,” he said, echoing the views of the police commissioner that it will take a lot of time to carry out the recruitment process to get the new strength.
Ranade said they have initiated the inter-district transfer process. “We have received 2,000 applications so far. Of these, 300 have been approved,” he said.