PESHAWAR, Nov 21: NWFP Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani has approved three different summaries, making a raise of Rs741 in the salaries of police personnel in the frontier province, during the last two weeks, according to a handout.

By doing so, the CM has fulfilled his pledge that salaries of the police personnel in the province will be brought at par with those of Punjab province.

Under the chief minister’s directives initial uniform allowance and regular uniform allowance had been approved.

Police officers from the rank of Inspector and above would receive a one-time Rs4,000 that would cost the provincial exchequer almost two million rupees annually. The chief minister also approved Rs250 as monthly uniform allowance for police force that would cost an additional Rs1.422 million annually.

It is pertinent to mention here that Chief Minister Durrani has already approved Rs200 monthly charge allowance for SHOs of all police stations throughout the province.

This facility was enjoyed by SHOs in Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan but not in the frontier province. The approval of Rs200 charge allowance for all SHOs was part of the CM’s pledge to undertake and look after the welfare of the frontier police officials and officers, the handout said.

The government would bear an additional expenditure of Rs1 billion annually on this count and 412 SHOs of 206 police stations throughout the province would benefit from this extra income.

The chief minister has recently approved a raise of Rs291 in the monthly ration allowance of police force, from a previous Rs390 to Rs680.

This was the first announcement regarding salary raise of police personnel.

With all these approvals, the frontier police force would feel comfortable and would enjoy facilities like those enjoyed by the Punjab police.

Chief Minister Durrani said his government was doing its utmost to provide everything to the police to make it a real dynamic and responsive force.

He hoped that the police would discharge its professional duties zealously and show more firmness in its commitment to the cause of serving the people.

The chief minister said that he had made commitment with the police personnel for raising their salaries under a gradual and phased programme; what his government said was being fulfilled.