Staff REPORTER
ITANAGAR, Nov 8: Reiterating the State Govt’s ‘zero tolerance’ policy against corruption, Home Minister Bamang Felix today called out to the ‘corrupt’ police officers to abstain from indulging in unlawful activities.
While lamenting that because of few corrupt police officers the whole Police Department is blamed, the Home Minister said, “Such officers and personnel will be traced out and punished.” He was speaking during the inauguration of the newly constructed RCC buildings of Itanagar police station and women’s police station here.
He urged the gathering of police officers and personnel to make people feel safe and secured under their jurisdiction and not afraid.
“Police stations are centers that help people. Let’s make it ‘public service centre’ and not ‘punishment centre’ as claimed by many people,” Felix appealed.
Talking about his department’s pet project ‘Hamara Arunachal Abhiyan’, the Home Minister said that a psychological war is needed for people of Arunachal to change and for peace to prevail.
“Arunachal is our own state. It should be our responsibility to make it better place to live in,” he said.
Expressing contentment with the performance of the capital police, he hoped that in the coming year Arunachal Pradesh Police will be one of the best Police departments of the country. “Keep policing in your thoughts, policing in your deeds,” he emphasized.
Responding to the appeal of local MLA Techi Kaso to curb drug menace in the capital, he urged the Arunachal Pradesh Women’s Welfare Society (APWWS) and Arunachal Pradesh State Commission for Women (APSCW) to aid in the fight against drug abuse. He also urged them to cooperate with police personnel for effective policing throughout the state.
Earlier, MLA Kaso called the establishment of both the police stations an ‘achievement’ not only for police but for the people as well. Stating that both Naharlagun and Itanagar police stations have proper buildings now, he urged the Home Minister to provide fund for building Nirjuli PS as well. He also appealed for establishment of a Fire Station at Nirjuli saying that in absence of a fire station, in case of emergencies fire tenders are to be called from Naharlagun which often reach late.
DGP R P Upadhyaya emphasized that his department is working on both official and societal level so that peace prevails in the state.
Speaking of the PRC movement, he said that the movement was a wakeup call for them to consider how youths these days function.
Speaking about various welfare initiatives, he suggested for timely monitoring of projects. “We shouldn’t just start something if we cannot continue with it,” the DGP suggested urging everyone to be sincere with their duties.
Capital Complex SP Tumme Amo said that the women’s police station which covers the capital as well as the whole of Papum Pare district needs to be upgraded. He informed that Itanagar PS with an average of 398 cases a year makes 12 percent of the cases registered all over the state, while the WPS with an average of 113 cases a year makes four percent of the cases registered.
“Earlier, the HomeMinister along with his entourage which also included Liromoba MLA NyamarKarbak inspected both the buildings and planted saplings in the police stationpremises.