SHILLONG: The State Government’s move to strengthen the Infiltration department to keep a check on influx into the State has been dented with manpower shortage.
The officers and personnel of the Infiltration department are unable to attend to their duties since a majority of them are under the direct control of the respective Superintendents of Police of the districts are deployed for regular police duties.
A recent note by the Under Secretary, Political department, to the eleven pressure groups who are demanding implementation of Inner Line Permit (ILP) in the State explains that there were only 265 sanctioned posts for police officers and personnel under the Prevention of Infiltration of Foreigners (PIF) scheme to cover the 1327 kilometer long boundary (both international and state) and covering about 5629 villages. However, out of the 265 posts sanctioned, only 112 officers and personnel are under the direct control of Superintendent of Police (Infiltration) while the remaining 153 posts are under the control of the different district police chiefs under whose jurisdiction they fall.
The note added that at present, the officers and personnel are being employed by the respective SPs of the districts for manning different police stations and outposts and not for the purpose for which they had been deployed.