₹100 crore for modernisation of Pune city, rural and PCMC police
Of this, ₹50 crore will be given from the District Planning Committee and ₹50 crore will be sanctioned from the social responsibility cell. Out of ₹100 crore, ₹41 crore have been sanctioned and the remainder will be released soon, says minister
District guardian minister Chandrakant Patil announced funding of ₹100 crore for the infrastructure development and modernisation of Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad city police Commissionerate and Pune rural police. Patil made the announcement at the inauguration of the new, two-storeyed building of Velhe police station on Thursday.
Outlining the role of modernisation of the police force, the guardian minister said, “A grant of ₹100 crore for the Pune city police, PCMC police, and rural police will be made available to the police departments. Of this, ₹50 crore will be given from the District Planning Committee and ₹50 crore will be sanctioned from the social responsibility cell. Out of ₹100 crore, ₹41 crore have been sanctioned and the remainder will be released soon. The police force will continue to receive funds for facilities as and when required.”
Patil explained that the rationale behind the sanction of funds is to equip the three police institutions with the latest weapons, technology and vehicles to tackle new challenges on the horizon. “The police are harnessing the power of the latest cyber technology and citizens must report incidents in their locality to the police on an urgent and immediate basis. We assure that impartial investigation and speedy resolution of the cases related to women, caste disputes, and other crimes will be undertaken. Citizens must remain vigilant and prevent the occurrence of crimes,” Patil said.
Meanwhile, Velhe police station has been built at a cost of ₹3 crore and is equipped with a projector, webcams, and video conferencing facilities. Velhe police station is spread over 783.30 square metres and has 12 rooms on the ground floor and six rooms on the first floor. The jurisdiction of the police station extends to 129 villages comprising mountain valleys, two forts, three dams, various tourist spots, and temples and different places of worship.
Special inspector general of police (Kolhapur Range) Sunil Phulari, who was present on the occasion, explained that the new police station is eco-friendly and the policemen will work towards providing the best policing to the citizens with active cooperation from citizens from all walks of life.
Superintendent of police Ankit Goyal said, “The previous police station building had become a dilapidated British-era building. With funds from the government, the old building has paved the way for a modern structure with facilities for the police and citizens alike.”
The District Planning Committee had given ₹34 lakh for construction of the new building of Velhe police station while the remaining amount came from the state exchequer. Patil said that the new police station building will instil confidence among the citizens and reduce crime rates.