ROURKELA: Odisha Director General of Police (DGP) YB Khurania on Friday said the proposal to establish a Commissionerate Police system in Rourkela has been shelved for now due to manpower shortage.
Visiting Rourkela to review the law and order situation and security preparations for the peaceful conduct of the upcoming festivals including Ram Navami in the region, the DGP said there are around 16,500 vacancies in Odisha Police. It would not be possible to establish a Police Commissionerate system in Rourkela till there is adequate manpower. The Odisha government has started the recruitment process but it would take time with necessary formalities and training.
Ever since the erstwhile Rourkela municipality was upgraded into a municipal corporation in November 2014, the city is technically eligible for the police commissionerate system and with a high rate of crime, there is a persistent demand for it.
Sources said in the past, two separate proposals were placed, but no final decision could be taken on them yet. One was for inclusion of 13 urban and two adjoining rural police stations of Rourkela police district (RPD) into the proposed Police Commissionerate system. The other was bifurcation of RPD to create a new rural police district for the Maoist-hit Bonai sub-division.
During 2008, all police stations in Bonai sub-division along with several others in the areas bordering Jharkhand were taken out of the Sundargarh police district for convenience of the administration and merged with the RPD.
About the Maoist problem along the Odisha-Jharkhand border, the DGP said the union home minister has given a call for eradication of Naxalism by March 2026. All necessary efforts are being made by Odisha Police to meet the challenge.
Till recently, the bordering pockets of RPD were largely affected by Left-Wing Extremism originating from the neighbouring Saranda forest in West Singhbhum district of Jharkhand. However, there was sharp decline in Maoist activities in Sundargarh side of the border in the last few years which led to the recent withdrawal of the 19th Battalion of CRPF from Rourkela to Nuapada district.
On the day, Khurania also presented DGP disks to several police officers for their outstanding performance. He also met with families of martyrs of nearby areas and enquired about their problems with an assurance to extend all possible support.
Among others, Rourkela-based DIG of Police (Western Range) Brijesh Kumar Rai and SPs of Rourkela, Sundargarh and Keonjhar were present.