Karaikudi (TN): Voicing concern over
vacancies in police department in the country, Union Home
Minister P Chidambaram on Saturday asked state governments to fill
the posts for "good" internal security.
The number of posts vacant in the police department in
various states would come to 3.50 lakh. The state governments
should have filled the vacancies but they were not doing so,
he said addressing a meeting on the Union budget here, in his
native Sivaganga district.
"Please fill police posts. Then only there will be
really good internal security in the states," he said.
Chidambaram said, on the one hand, robust youths were
without jobs and on the other there were enormous vacancies in
the police department.
So was the case with teachers and nurses...There were
many trained teachers and nurses... Still teachers' posts
remained vacant. "It is a curse of the nation."
He said there were only 130 policemen for one lakh
population in the country whereas as per the UN's norm it
should be 250.
Because the police strength was so low they had to
work very hard. On an average a policeman, had to stand 12 to
14 hours a day. In border areas the condition was bad police
guard the borders for 18 hours a day.
"One should never look at police with contempt as they
are very hard working. But for the sacrifice of a Maharashtra
policemen who held the gun of terrorist Ajmal Kasab boldly and
died, he could not have been arrested," he said.
Chidambaram said in cities like Delhi, police were not
even getting holidays. They were working so hard. Policemen
also give their lives for people's security.
Regretting the recent bomb blast in Pune, he said "It is
a black spot after 14 months when there were no incidents."
On the budget allocation for internal security, he said
Rs 30,000 crore had been earmarked for 2010-11 and it would be
effectively spent for border fencing and purchase of new
equipment etc.
Referring to allocation of Rs 1,47,344 crore for defence,
he said "We are not enemies of any country. But Pakistan is
considering us as their enemy and China as their competitor or
rival."
The world nations had predicted that India and China would
emerge as superpowers after Russia and America and it was
important that "we should be cautious and protect our
borders", he said.
PTI
First Published: Sunday, February 28, 2010, 00:00