BHUBANESWAR: In an effort to ramp up crime-solving apparatus and infrastructure, the state police is set to establish a full-fledged Regional Forensic Science Laboratory (RFSL) in Berhampur covering the entire gamut of facilities from ballistics, biology, chemistry, physics, serology to toxicology.
Due to the lack of adequate infrastructure, only three divisions including biology and serology are functional in Berhampur while the ballistic and chemistry divisions are partially operational at the RFSL.
“The plan to construct a new building of RFSL in Berhampur has been approved and the infrastructure is likely to be ready within a year,” said a senior officer from Odisha Police headquarters.
Sources said the State Forensic Science Laboratory (SFSL) has also requested the government to strengthen the infrastructure of the two other RFSLs at Sambalpur and Balasore. Six divisions are sanctioned for Sambalpur and two for Balasore. While two to three divisions are operational in Sambalpur, only biology is functional at Balasore.
“A request has been sent to the government to strengthen all the three RFSLs in the state. The facilities will be able to deliver the much-needed output once their manpower, infrastructure and equipment are enhanced,” said the police officer.
Apart from infrastructure issues, the RFSLs and district forensic science laboratories (DFSL) are facing an acute shortage of manpower and vehicles. Of the 36 DFSLs in the state, only about 24 are operational.
Sources said most of the DFSLs are working with only one staff each. The sanctioned strength of SFSL, RFSLs and DFSLs combined is about 250, however, there are about 50 per cent vacancies in all these facilities, they said.
Experts attributed the lack of manpower in SFSLs, RFSLs and DFSLs to the low pay scale of scientific officers and assistant scientific officers. Annually, the facilities including SFSL are receiving over 2 lakh exhibits an examination of at least 50 per cent of them remains pending by the end of the year.
The SFSL is taking over two years to deliver a cyber forensic or viscera report due to a shortage of manpower and overwhelming exhibits which it receives from RFSLs and DFSLs. The trial of cases involving forensic evidence, therefore, is delayed too due to the non-submission of reports on time.
The Orissa High Court had earlier directed the state government to strengthen its forensic laboratories. “Efforts are being made to strengthen all the nine divisions in the three RFSLs - Berhampur, Sambalpur and Balasore. Top priority is being given to enhance manpower, infrastructure and equipment of SFSL, RFSLs and DFSLs,” DGP Sunil Kumar Bansal told TNIE.