BHUBANESWAR: In a bid to improve investigation and law and order situation, police commissioner S Dev Datta Singh has sent a proposal to DGP YB Khurania requesting to bifurcate Bhubaneswar Urban Police District into two UPDs - east and west - to be headed by one DCP rank officer each.
As part of the proposal, there would be no change in the strength of police stations and ACP offices due to the division, and the police personnel would be distributed between the two districts in an even manner to make the work load more equitable, read Singh’s letter.
However, after dividing the existing manpower of Bhubaneswar UPD, Singh has sought creation of 988 posts including 555 for west UPD reserve office. Bhubaneswar east and west UPDs will have 14 and 15 police stations respectively.
In his letter to the DGP, Singh cited that police had been facing multifaceted challenges after the Bhubaneswar UPD started functioning in 2008. Some of the challenges included increase in reporting of crimes, large number of swindling and economic offense cases, several law and order incidents, frequent VIP movements and rise in vehicles causing traffic snarls.
Singh also pointed out that Bhubaneswar is going through rapid urbanisation along with the establishment of a large number of educational and health-care institutions, commercial hubs and increased industrialisation.
The letter further stated that there has been an increase in the number of crimes reported between 2008 and 2024. While 4,566 crimes were reported in 2008, 13,411 were reported in 2024. It also mentioned that the population of Bhubaneswar UPD has increased from 12.66 lakh in 2008 to 27.64 lakh in 2024. Similarly, the number of vehicles have increased from 39,873 to 91,533 during the period.
In such a situation, one DCP office for Bhubaneswar UPD is unable to cope up with the ever-increasing supervisory work. To meet the expectations and ensure a safer environment for citizens, it is proposed to bifurcate Bhubaneswar UPD into two UPDs - Bhubaneswar east and west headed by one DCP each having their separate offices, the letter stated.