Minister of State for Home Mullappally Ramachandran has said that law enforcement systems in the country will be modernised to equip them to deal with crimes involving terror groups, drug mafia and cyber criminals posing grave threat to national security.
Speaking at a meet-the-press organised by the Press Club here on Sunday, Mr. Ramachandran said that the Crime and Criminal Tracking Networking System (CCTNS) launched by the Central government with the
objective of networking 14,000 police stations in the country was a comprehensive project to tackle crimes whose characteristics were changing rapidly. The Rs. 2000 crore project would be implemented without any delay, he said adding that the States and Union Territories were expected to sign memorandum of understanding with the Central government in this regard by September 30. He said that use of science and technology for tracking criminals had to be strengthened as the number of crimes having inter-State and international links was growing. The CCTNS would introduce transparency in police force and make it more people-friendly, he added.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Minister also said that the Central government had conceived a Rs. 400 crore project for constructing cyclone shelters in the coastal areas of the State as part of the disaster management initiative of the government. He said that the shelters would be used as multi-purpose community halls. The estimated cost of the shelters was between Rs. 80 lakh and Rs. 1 crore each, he said. The formal inauguration of the shelter project would be held at Chemanchery panchayat in Kozhikode soon, he added.