Police force strengthening to be taken up on war footing: Patil

Mumbai, Sep 20 (UNI) Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister R R Patil today appointed a three-member study group, to suggest, within a month, on the implementation of the Mckinsey report recommendations on improving the police force.

Talking to reporters here, Mr Patil said the three-member group would be headed by principal secretary (Home) Chandra Iyenger, besides joint commissioner of police Javed Ahmad and Ventakeshan, another IPS officer.

Giving details of the recommendations of the report, Mr Patil said the most important pre-condition for promotion has been put as quality. The report says that at least 10 per cent of the police force should be promoted considering the quality of work as the main criterion.

The report recommends that 38,000 police constables posts should be filled up urgently and police stations and police chowkies should be improved. Mr Patil said the job will be taken up on war footing.

An estimated Rs 160 crore expenditure will be incurred for the job.

Mr Patil said Mckinsey was commissioned to conduct the study and make recommendations in the year 2003 when the present DGP Dr P S Pasricha was the additional DG.

The Deputy Chief Minister said the Government had implemented some suggestions from the interim report submitted to the Government earlier. ''Before the implementation of the recommendations, only 13 per cent of the police officials got their weekly offs. Now, 70 per cent of the personnel avail their weekly offs. Due to this, Rs 25 crore is being saved which would have otherwise gone to the policemen as holiday compensation,'' he added.

Mr Patil said some suggestions require finances while some others could be implemented with proper human resource management.

The final report was submitted to DGP Dr Pasricha and Mr Patil at the state police headquarters by Mckinsey CEO Ranjit Pandit.

Mr Patil said he had received a memorandum of 50,000 signatures from BJP leaders Gopinath Munde and Kirit Somaiya urging the Government to ''hang terrorists''. Similarly, he said a delegation led by Rajya Sabha MP Supriya Sule, daughter of NCP supremo and Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, had met him to discuss issues concerning handicapped and ''phase phardis (a tribe)''.

When asked about investigations in the Malegaon and Mumbai blasts, Mr Patil said the investigators were close to nabbing the actual culprits.

UNI MR MAZ SAM KP1950