The Hindu : Kharge has many promises to keep

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Feb 08, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka-Bangalore

Kharge has many promises to keep

K.V. Subramanya writes about the programmes announced by the Home Minister, Mallikarjun Kharge, which are yet to be implemented.

THE GOVERNMENT'S move to recruit about 1,500 constables has brought cheer to the top brass of the Bangalore City police, as shortage of staff has been hindering routine policing.

The Home Minister, M. Mallikarjun Kharge, who had been making statements in the past three years that the problem of staff shortage would be solved by recruiting additional personnel, has finally kept up his word.

However, other projects announced by him are yet to take off. Though he had discussed the projects with the previous Commissioner of Police, H.T. Sangliana, in February 2002, little progress has been made in implementing them.

On the other hand, Mr. Kharge has not pulled up the City police for not obeying certain directions issued to them. These apparently point to a lack of seriousness on the part of the Government in implementing its own programmes to improve policing in Bangalore.

After a meeting with the top brass of the City police on May 16, 2001, Mr. Kharge announced at a press conference that Bangalore would soon get a mobile forensic laboratory, and Rs. 12 lakhs would be released for the purpose in accordance with the recommendations of the Eleventh Finance Commission. The authorities concerned are not aware of the progress in implementing the project. The City needs a mobile forensic laboratory, as the short-staffed and overburdened Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) has not been able to submit reports promptly.The Home Minister had said that Rs. 5 crore had been sanctioned for introducing the radio-trunking facility to improve the communication network of the City police. For reasons better known to the Government, the project is said to have been postponed for the financial year 2003-2004. At present, only Mumbai and Delhi have the facility in the country.

Certain other promises Mr. Kharge made in regard to providing sophisticated equipment to the Bomb Detection Squad and setting up a special force for providing security to the Vidhana Soudha and the Karnataka High Court are yet to be translated into action.

When the Opposition parties raised the issue of kidnappings, in the Legislative Assembly in 2000, Mr. Kharge said that a special squad to deal with cases of kidnapping would be created in the Bangalore City police. According to sources, the Government has so far not even held discussions on the issue with top officials.

After the review meeting on May 16, 2001, the Home Minister said that he had given special instructions to the City police to keep a vigil on all new entrants to the City, as there were reports that a lot of criminals from other States were coming to Bangalore. A "census" announced in this regard has not been taken up in a systematic way.

After the murder of a retired scientist in K.R. Puram, the Home Minister said that some areas on the outskirts of the City, which are now part of the Bangalore Rural District police, would be brought under the jurisdiction of Bangalore City. However, no such delimitation has taken place.

Other significant announcement made by the Government was about setting up special courts for trials related to the dreaded Dandupalya criminals and the accused in the case concerning the serial blasts in churches, to ensure speedy trials. Although the Karnataka High Court has given its consent for establishing two specials courts, the Government has reportedly failed to take steps to establish them without delay.

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