February 16, 2008	Saturday	Safar 08, 1429

KARACHI, Feb 15: In order to ensure peace in the city during and after the general elections, the Sindh government has formed motorcycle squads of Rangers.

This government measure is part of a scheme aimed at maintaining law and order on Feb 18 and to effectively monitor the pre- and post-election situation. An amount of Rs119 million has already been released.

Apart from this special squad, as many as 60 cameras have also been installed at different points in the surroundings of some of the most sensitive polling stations.

The Rangers motorcycle squad will comprise 200 personnel and to equip the force with all the necessary gadgets, the government has released Rs18 million, it is reliably learnt.

The Rangers squad, to be activated on Feb 16, is in addition to the mobile police force for which Rs60 million has already been provided. The special police force is operational in the metropolis.

Sinch Home Secretary Arif Ahmad told that strict security measures had been taken for Feb 18. He said that the law enforcement agencies were already under instructions from the Home Minister, retired brigadier Akhtar Zamin, not to allow anyone to take law into their hands.

The government has already established control and monitoring rooms in all the offices of the DCOs in all the 23 districts of the province including, Karachi, while the central control room is located at the offices of the Home department headed by the home secretary and will remain operational round-the-clock.

In Karachi, the central control room to monitor law and order situation had been established by Sindh Chief Secretary Fazlur Rehman which is located at the Chief Secretary’s House, opposite Karachi Gymkhana.

The CCR, which has started working, will work round the clock. Its phone numbers are 021-9202090, 9202101 and 922095 (fax).