CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has issued notices to the state government over serious manpower shortages in Odisha Police, which has led to increasing workload affecting well-being of the personnel.
The bench of Chief Justice Harish Tandon and Justice MS Raman has sought a reply from the DGP within two weeks. The court was hearing a PIL seeking urgent intervention to address mental health issues among personnel and filling up the large-scale vacancies in police force.
Cuttack-based lawyer Shivsankar Mohanty, who filed the PIL on April 6, appeared in person during the hearing on July 15. The matter will be taken up for further hearing on July 29.
The petition urged the court to direct the DGP to take immediate and effective steps to deal with cases of depression, workplace stress and overall mental well-being of personnel. It also contended that staff shortages are significantly contributing to excessive workload and institutional stress.
The petition cited recent incidents to underline the gravity of the situation. These include the death of a jail warden under mysterious circumstances at Jharpada jail in Bhubaneswar on March 6, the alleged suicide of a constable at Nayagarh Reserve Police campus on February 5, and the resignation of a woman havildar in Angul on April 4 reportedly due to prolonged workplace pressure.
Highlighting the manpower gap, the petition stated that the civil police strength in Odisha stands at 25,766 against a sanctioned 35,024, while the armed reserve has 9,423 personnel against 10,579 sanctioned posts. It also pointed to 1,634 vacant sub-inspector and 6,218 constable posts. The actual strength of the armed reserve police in the Odisha stands at 9,423, as against the sanctioned strength of 10,579.
The plea noted that the state’s police-population ratio (55.82 per one lakh population) remains below sanctioned levels (75.88 per one lakh population), aggravating workload concerns and impacting efficiency as well as well-being of the personnel.
