THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The government has agreed to the proposition of the Police Department to rejig its hierarchical structure. The Cabinet meeting on Wednesday announced its decision to scrap the postings of ADGPs to the police zones. Currently, Anil Kant helms the South Zone while handling the additional charge of the North Zone as well. The post of South Zone ADGP has been lying vacant since the retirement of Rajesh Dewan last May. Anil Kant might be moved to the Vigilance and Anti-corruption Bureau, whose director B S Muhammed Yasin retired on Wednesday.
The zones will now be manned by two IGs. Sources told Express that Kannur Range IG Balram Kumar Upadhyay and Thrissur Range IG M R Ajith Kumar were the favourites for the post. Former intelligence IG Ashok Yadav is the lead-runner for the post of South Zone IG.
The ranges, which were hitherto held by IGs, will now be handled by DIG-level officers.Meanwhile, the plan to announce Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram cities as police commissionerates has fizzled out. The plan was to make the commissionerates IG posts with magisterial powers. However, this decision was vehemently contested by the IAS officers, who only hold magisterial power as of now.High-level sources said even Chief Secretary Tom Jose was against the proposal after the IAS officers upped their protest.