Problems being created in the name of region: Patil

New Delhi, Mar 19 : Home Minister Shivraj Patil today said there is a design to create problems leading to disharmony in the name of language and region in various parts of the country. While replying to supplementaries during Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha, Patil said the Centre has directed the states to identify areas and persons responsible for creating law and order problems.

He said State Governments were not making optimal use of the forces with them to prevent such incidents and urged them to strengthen their police forces and ensure economic development of backward regions.

"It is a very very sorry (state of affairs). It is necessary to take very strong action," Patil said in reply to a question on the killing of 14 Hindi-speaking workers in Manipur on Tuesday.

"This is happening in the North-East. It is happening in south, it is happening in west and at many other places," he added.

Patil also said, "Forces available with the State Governments are not being used in the manner they should be. Anytime there is an incident, Union Government is asked to send forces."

Of the seven lakh Central forces, nearly six lakh are deployed on the borders and only the remaining can be used when states ask for assistance.

State Governments should raise their own force and deploy them scientifically.

Besides, vacancies in the existing state forces, which are as high as 30 per cent in some states, should be filled.

"Union Government does not have forces for regular services. They have forces that can be used only as reserve forces. To provide forces is the responsibility of the state Government and they should do it," Patil said. In a country, which has 6.5 lakh villages, the number of police stations is only 14,000. This ratio has to be improved, he said.

ANI