SAMBALPUR: Charan Singh Meena on Thursday assumed charge as the new DIG of Northern Range. He took charge from outgoing IG Himansu Lal.
With the change of guard, the more than a decade-old proposal for introduction of the commissionerate police system in Sambalpur has once again come into focus. The issue assumes significance amid an increasing population, urban crime, traffic management challenges and concerns over public confidence in policing in Sambalpur.
At present, police in Sambalpur continue to depend on the district administration for several executive and magisterial interventions. Under a Commissionerate system, such powers are vested with the police commissioner, enabling quicker decisions on law and order and other policing matters.
The shortcomings of the existing arrangement became particularly evident during the violence in Sambalpur in 2023, when police had to depend on the district administration for several administrative decisions. A commissionerate structure could have enabled the police to respond more swiftly in such situations.
A senior police official said the commissionerate police system would strengthen policing in Sambalpur through increased manpower, better infrastructure and funding. It would also improve public safety with wider CCTV coverage, organised patrolling and better traffic management, while dedicated units could address crimes against women. Enhanced intelligence gathering could further help curb illegal activities such as smuggling and illicit contraband trades.
Sambalpur MLA Jayanarayan Mishra had, in the past, assured that the BJP government is committed to taking action in this regard soon.
In 2014, the then BJD government had announced that a commissionerate police system would be introduced in Sambalpur, along with Rourkela and Berhampur, citing the growing urban population and changing nature of crime. The then chief minister Naveen Pattnaik had subsequently informed the Assembly in 2017 about the proposal being in active consideration.
Later in January 2020, the Centre approved the required posts for the proposed Sambalpur Commissionerate. Yet, more than six years after the approval, the system is yet to become a reality, leaving the city to function under the existing police and district administration arrangement.