BHUBANESWAR: Even as Odisha government is on alert to thwart attempts of infiltration from trouble-torn Bangladesh, the state’s 18 marine police stations, struggling with shortage of manpower, lack adequate resources to perform their task efficiently.
Sources said the 480-km-long coastline of the state is guarded in three layers with the Indian Navy securing the outermost perimeter, followed by Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and then Odisha Police’s marine police stations, which became operational between 2009 and 2015.
However, the state depends heavily on the Navy and the ICG to secure its coast as its marine police stations lack teeth to deal with critical situations.
Under the coastal security scheme of the Centre, 18 marine police stations were sanctioned for the state to strengthen security along its entire coast. The aim and objective of such police stations was to check import/export of illegal arms and contraband through sea route, infiltration of unauthorised persons, entry of anti-national elements, illegal/unregulated fishing and to guard against attack on vital installations along the coastline.
Sources said the state government had sanctioned 738 posts in different ranks including 18 inspectors, 54 sub-inspectors (SI) and assistant sub-inspectors (ASI) each, 144 havildars and 432 constables for all the marine police stations.
This apart, the state government had sanctioned 270 home guard posts and 280 technical posts for former Navy and Coast Guard personnel. “At least 70 per cent of the posts are vacant in all ranks and close to 30 per cent technical posts are vacant,” said sources in state police headquarters.
The shortage of ASIs, havildars and constables poses a major challenge in guarding fish landing centres, providing security to vital installations along the coast and carrying out patrolling in the sea.
Sources said the state government had recruited police personnel for its marine police stations but SPs are mostly posting/deputing them in other police stations in their respective districts to handle local affairs and dispose of cases registered there more effectively.
As per the guidelines of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), marine police stations have been directed to carry out sea patrolling for more than 150 hours every month. The expenses incurred towards fuel in boats were earlier reimbursed by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
However, since the last few years, SPs of the districts having marine police stations are bearing the fuel expenses of the boats. “There are around 15 fast interceptors which require 40 to 60 litre of fuel to carry out patrolling for one hour. As there is a shortage of funds for fuel, robust patrolling is not being carried out in the sea,” said sources.
Besides, Odisha Police’s coastal security wing does not even have a command and control centre or a jetty of its own. It does not even have a permanent office either and is functioning from the premises of the old building of Crime Branch’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) in the capital city.
Meanwhile, ad hoc measures have been taken and security enhanced along the coast in Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Puri and Ganjam districts to check any infiltration bid through the sea route amid tensions in Bangladesh.
Sanctioned
18 inspectors
54 SIs and ASIs
144 havildars
432 constables
Vacancy: 70%