All armouries in Orissa to be fortified

Bhubaneswar, Apr 16 (UNI) Fortification of all the armouries in Orissa would be completed within six months, Home Secretary T K Mishra said here today.

The government decided to fortify the armouries in the wake of rising incidence of looting of arms and ammunition from armouries by the Maoists during the last few years.

Mr Mishra said Orissa Police Housing Corporation Chairman-cum- Managing Director P C Mishra had been instructed to complete the fortification work within six months.

''While the state has 50 armouries, around half of them are in naxal affected areas,'' he said.

The Home Secretary said the state government had also requested the Centre to provide jammers in jails in the state to prevent criminals from operating through cell phones.

He said the government had already earmarked Rs 1.16 crore for the installation of jammers.

The jammers would first be installed in jails in Bhubaneswar and Chowdwar and in four other jails in different parts of the state.

Later, they would be installed in other jails.

He said a request had been made to the Union government to supply the jammers at the earliest.

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