By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Dec 13: The Meghalaya government wants the existing amenities in the state’s police stations and outposts to function efficiently before setting up new facilities.
Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Wednesday said there is a lot of demand for setting up police stations across the state. “I think we should strengthen the existing set-ups to 100% efficiency and then go for expansion,” he said.
He said there are some 2,000 appointments to be made to fill up vacancies in the police stations and outposts in different parts of the state.
“The first target is to ensure enough manpower, machinery, vehicles, arms training – all the necessities and then we can look at how we can expand the police stations,” he added.
The government is actively considering the expansion and augmentation of police stations in a phased manner, Sangma said.
Earlier, the chief minister said the government is trying to reform the police department, starting with a proposal to have a Commissionerate to tackle law and order in Shillong.
The chief minister also said there are 70-80 police stations and outposts either without any vehicles or with vehicles that are not in good shape.
The state government has taken a conscious decision to purchase a new vehicle for every police station and outpost, he added.
‘No fuel crisis’
Reacting to the threat of the North East Petroleum Mazdoor Union (NEPMU) to stop the supply of petroleum products to Meghalaya, the chief minister allayed fears about the scarcity of petrol and diesel and said things are under control.
The NEPMU had threatened to stop transporting fuel to Meghalaya citing harassment of its members and their continued detention.
“Let’s not go with rumours or news to just create panic among the people. There is a problem but we are trying to resolve it,” Sangma said, insisting there is currently no issue with the supply of fuel.
He said the government would inform the people if there is a situation but things are under control now.
“Many petrol pump operators had complained about pilferage of oil from the tankers. They said up to 20% of the fuel is taken out from the tankers before they reach the petrol pumps to offload,” he said.
The police in Ri-Bhoi district conducted a massive operation based on the complaint. They found solid evidence of pilferage and picked up some people involved in it. “This was construed as harassment. The police were doing their job based on the complaint by the petrol pump owners,” Sangma said.
He said the matter has gone to court and is beyond the purview of the state government, he said.
The government, he assured, would spare no effort to ensure the people do not suffer.