KARACHI, Sept 28: The Sindh police would be provided with sufficient funds to re-structure the force on modern lines, enabling it to effectively control the crime rate, said Waseem Akhtar, advisor to Sindh chief minister on home affairs here on Thursday after attending a maiden briefing by the Sindh home department.
The entire security system needs to be revamped, he observed, adding that first the home department be put to order making it more efficient.
He also advised the Sindh police to establish the Citizen Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) in Hyderabad also so that common citizens feel more secure.
He urged the officials of the home department and the police to work in close coordination. The other provinces have taken lead in law and order, but Sindh still faces a number of problems which would be addressed soon, the advisor said.
The advisor stated that 153 small and big vehicles would be provided to all prisons of Sindh to ensure hundred per cent production of UTPs before the trial courts.
The barracks would also be repaired to improve the conditionsof prison cells, he said.
Taking notice of the loss of lives in Karachi involving vehicles carrying containers, he directed the DIG traffic to ensure that no truck or vehicle which does not have safety devices be allowed to ply road.
Instead such trailers or trucks be challaned, he ordered, warning that strict disciplinary action would be taken if any violation was reported.
Earlier, Sindh Home Secretary Brig (Retd) Ghulam Mohammad Mohtaram, briefing the advisor, said five development schemes are being implemented in Sindh police and Sindh prisons under annual development schemes in which construction of barracks was on top carrying an estimated cost of Rs223 million.
There are 20,338 prisoners in Sindh against the total capacity of 9,720. Some 1,020 prisoners have been enlarged on parole and 1,000 released after cases against them are revoked, the home secretary stated.
The Sindh prisons have 128 dangerous prisoners for whom a security prison was being planned.
He also informed that 728 foreign students were staying in the Sindh Madressash, out of which 312, have left the country with 416 students still remaining.
Referring to expenditures on maintenance of law and order, the home secretary informed the minister that at present 21,808 rangers personnel are performing duties in Sindh and total expenditure incurred for this force is Rs233.258 million in the year 2005-06.
In addition, there are 55 platoons of Frontier Constabulary upon which Rs204.258 million were spent in the previous financial year, he said.
The advisor was also informed that nine anti-terrorism courts are functioning in Sindh with four courts hearing cases for Karachi district alone.
The briefing was also attended by special secretary home Rasheed Alam, IG Prisons Yameen Khan and senior officers of the home department and the Sindh police.
During his visit to Central Police office, Wasim Akhtar directed that ban on heavy vehicles carrying containers without safety hooks should be implemented in letter and spirit and container tied with ropes to trawler and other vehicles should be challaned and impounded.—APP/PPI
