July 31, 2008	Thursday	Rajab 27, 1429

KARACHI, July 30: A large number of police stations in the city face suspension in fuel supply, as an oil marketing company has stopped offering diesel and petrol to the vehicles of law enforcers on non-payment of outstanding dues.

The crisis has been caused due to delays in the release of funds and administrative bottlenecks, while official leaves of the police high-ups have further deepened the intensity of the crisis, senior officials and sources close to the department said on Wednesday. However, the high-ups believed the situation was not as bad as was being projected by a few quarters within the police department.

“The vehicles of nearly 50 police stations in three different zones of the system are without fuel for at least the last couple of weeks,” said a source in the police department. “Pumping stations of the company, which is under contract with the Sindh police for fuel supply, have stopped catering to a large number of city police vehicles since the Karachi police have defaulted on payments.”

He said the request for the restoration of fuel supply was submitted to the Central Police Office by the officials concerned; however, the request had yet to receive the nod from the high-ups. Ultimately, he added, the police stations were forced to arrange fuel on their own through “different means.”“The situation is not as bad as it had been in the past, but it has damaged the morale as well as the operational activities of the law enforcers to some extent,” he added.

A police mobile van receives 15 litres of diesel every day to cater to operational needs in the area. Similarly, an SP who heads a town can utilise 20 litres of fuel for his official vehicle daily. Motorcycles, which usually have two armed policemen patrolling areas and conducting random checks of vehicles, are provided three litres of petrol per day.

Though the quantity of fuel for each category of police vehicle is under question for effective performance of the law enforcers, the authorities are unable to manage even such meagre numbers through the present administrative arrangements.

“For instance, a total of 10 police stations and a police post in Saddar Town own some 35 mobile vans and 30 motorcycles, but all of them are without official fuel supply for the last 15 days,” said an official explaining the plight of the police in the city.

Requesting anonymity, a senior police official said policing has been badly affected by the supply shortages and the patrolling of the law enforcers had almost come to a halt in the whole town.

“The town hosts buildings of national importance, with dozens of local and foreign business houses spread across the area. One can’t even imagine ignoring the importance of policing such a sensitive area. We expect early action from the authorities concerned,” he added.

He said not only does the shortage have a negative effect on the operational capacity of the police stations, it also affects the morale of the policemen, who look for “other options” to meet the urgent need.

“Naturally, an SHO will give priority to filling up the mobile vans of his police station instead of waiting for fresh official supply from the department,” he remarked. The authorities, however, are ignorant of the fact, saying that the issue had not yet reached alarming proportions.

“There is no such complaint in my knowledge since I have been looking after the affairs of the department for the last one week,” said Wajid Ali Durrani, the acting Capital City Police Officer (CCPO). “Neither has it been brought to my notice by any of my officers. I realize that some stations have problems, but the situation is not too serious.”