AMPATI: The state law enforcement apparatus gained another asset in terms of providing security to the people with the inauguration of the Damalgre Police Station in South West Garo Hills.
Sports and youth affairs minister, Zenith Sangma inaugurated the police station, which is the 18th in the state, on Tuesday.
Forest and environment minister Clement Marak, government chief whip Winnerson Sangma, Mahendraganj MLA Dikkanchi D Shira, GHADC CEM Boston Marak and GHADC Chairperson S M Sangma and others were present on the occasion.
The jurisdiction of Damalgre police station will extend to 37 villages in the district, including some that were previously under Tura police station.
Addressing the gathering, Sangma said the police station was the outcome of the government’s endeavour to bring police administration closer to the people.
“The government under the leadership of chief minister Mukul Sangma has made steps to strengthen the state’s police force to minimise dependence on central assistance to deal with law and order problems and ensure a sense of security to the people of the region,” said the minister.
He said certain difficulties including language barriers, create hurdles when central paramilitary forces are deployed in interior villages to contain insurgency and other related problems which eventually results in discrimination of the indigenous population.
On the state’s police recruitment system, Sangma said an effective and transparent recruitment system had been developed to ensure that only deserving candidates got through the selection process.
Sangma later informed that the chief minister would soon lay the base for the College of Architecture and Urban Planning and the Williamson Sangma Technical Institute at Jewillgre in the district.
Earlier, director-general of police S.B Singh informed that the state’s police force had come a long way since its inception. “The state police including the SF-10 are doing very well and have managed to outdo their counterparts from other states in various training programmes like the NSG, SWAT, etc to name a few,” Singh said.
He also informed that the state police had launched Operation Bonding under the chief minister’s directive.
