LAHORE: The Punjab government has accorded approval to Rs80 million to establish 500 flats for police employees of the provincial capital.

Lahore police proposed a scheme to establish flats in high-rise buildings for their subordinate employees from constable to sub-inspector rank. The proposal was drafted and forwarded by the operations wing of Lahore police to the Punjab government.

An official told Dawn that Lahore police comprised approximately 35,000 personnel. Most of them were discharging duties at 85 police stations across the city as field force and included lower and upper subordinates, including constables, head constables and assistant sub-inspectors. A lot of these officials hailed from other districts and lived in rented residences.

Several police stations housed in rented buildings also lacked accommodation facility for officials. Consequently, the cops were forced to stay in tents arranged on the premises of the police stations.

The official said a proposal was drafted during the tenure of former inspector general Mushtaq Ahmad Sukhera to provide five-marla houses in a housing colony specifically for policemen of the city. A committee under the then additional inspector general (finance) Sohail Ahmad Khan was also formed to execute the proposal, he said. However, the scheme never materialised and remained on paper only.

On realising that the Punjab government was unmoved regarding official residences for police employees, the authorities in Lahore held a survey and found five-kanal land of Manawan police station to execute the proposal. This land adjacent to the boundary of the police station was lying unused and it was decided to establish high-rise buildings for 500 flats for the cops.

The government entertained the request of Lahore police and approved Rs80m for the purpose.

Similarly, the police department has also identified other police stations to establish such accommodation facilities instead of depending on the government. The official, however, said that the construction of 500 flats for 35,000 policemen would not address their legitimate demand.

Published in Dawn, April 1st, 2018