Kolkata, Oct 10 (PTI) West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday said his government aims to reduce police response time as he launched the Emergency Response Support System (ERSS-112).
Addressing a programme in Kolkata’s Brigade Parade Ground, where he unveiled 450 four-wheelers and an equal number of motorcycles as part of the system, Adhikari said the average emergency response time of West Bengal Police was around 90 minutes, compared with 10-15 minutes for Kolkata Police, which has more personnel and vehicles.
“Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat respond to emergencies within six to 10 minutes. Why can’t West Bengal achieve this,” he asked police officials, urging them to work towards faster responses.
“Today is just the beginning. Within the next year, we will provide four motorcycles and four cars to every police station in the state,” he said, adding that the state cabinet had approved the recruitment of 1,500 drivers for the vehicles.
The chief minister also flagged the poor condition of police stations, saying many lacked basic facilities and adequate maintenance.
Referring to his visits to Watgunge and Ekbalpore police stations in Kolkata, he said the buildings appeared to be nearly a century old and lacked proper CCTV systems and fire extinguishers.
“All of this has to change,” he said.
Praising the force, Adhikari said senior officers, including DGP Siddhinath Gupta and IPS officer Javed Shamim, had ensured that there was no bloodshed during the recent bypolls to two assembly seats.
He also stressed the need for better coordination among the police, civil defence and disaster management authorities to deal with emergencies.
He said the recruitment processes had been made transparent, unlike the previous regime, and announced that more than 11,000 constables would be appointed before Durga Puja.
The chief minister said his government had zero tolerance for drug abuse and attacks on women, reiterating his commitment to securing justice for the family of the doctor raped and murdered at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. PTI SUS SOM
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