SHILLONG: The State Home department will procure as many as 800 Tear Smoke Munitions (TSMs) at a cost of Rs 5.26 lakh to quell riots and maintain law and order in the State.
As per the list of supplementary demands for grants and supplementary appropriation for 2013-14 placed in the Assembly on Friday, the State Home Department wanted allotment of an additional amount of Rs 5,26,700 for the procurement of TSMs to control riots and other law and order problems.
The State Government had earlier approved the demand of the Home Department to procure the TSMs for the year 2013-2014.
Later, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs communicated to the State Government that the amount of Rs 5,26,700 should be remitted immediately for the release of the materials.
The explanatory note of Home Minister Roshan Warjri under the list of supplementary demand for grants is that ‘since fund for the purpose under the relevant head of account is exhausted and the items are urgently required by the State Police for riot control and other law and order situation, Government may consider allotment of Rs 5,26,700 by way of supplementary demand’.
Recently many police personnel were injured when some miscreants pelted stones at the police team during a procession organised by women NGOs at Motphran demanding implementation of the Inner Line Permit in the State.
The intention of the Home Department in procuring the Tear Smoke Munitions is aimed at equipping the police with these items to disperse the crowd during agitations and to quell protests.