KARACHI, June 15: Over Rs4 billion — out of the total of Rs17 billion set aside for maintenance of law and order — has been allocated for the city police in the provincial budget for the financial year 2007-08 which was announced in the Sindh Assembly on Friday.
The 18 towns of the capital city police will get Rs2.24 billion while Rs1.02 billion will be given to the five headquarters of the city police.
The Karachi city police chief’s budget has been fixed as Rs750.6 million for the next fiscal year, which starts from July 1. For the capital city traffic police, Rs19.66 million has been allocated, for the driving licence and motor vehicle inspection branch Rs35.6 million, for the capital city police investigation-I Rs30.8 million and investigation-II Rs32.68 million, for the Anti-Violent Crime Cell (AVCC) Rs41.8 million, and for the Anti-Car Lifting Cell (ACLC) Rs174.18 million.
A glance at the budget document shows that the Sindh government will spend 7.2 per cent of the total budget to maintain law and order across the province. Of the total Rs17 billion earmarked for law and order in Sindh, Rs13.69 billion will be spent on salaries and allowances of law-enforcers while only Rs3.3 billion will be left with the government to actually spend on the maintenance of law and order.
The government had allocated Rs15.918 billion for the current financial year, but the revised estimate rose to Rs16.86 billion.
From the fiscal budget for the year 2007-8, the police department will be given Rs16.259 billion while the Frontier Constabulary in the province will get Rs328 million. The Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) will also get a chunk of Rs410 million from the total law and order budget while Rs28.8 million will be spent on the Qaumi Razakar police.
A major portion of the law and order budget — Rs13.69 billion (80.5 per cent) — will be spent on salaries and allowances while Rs112 million has been allocated for repairs and maintenance.
The provincial police office in the province will be given Rs1.075 billion, while the Crime Investigation Department (CID) will get Rs88.6 million, and the provincial investigation wing will get Rs99.5 million.
The budget for the regional police Hyderabad has been fixed at Rs183.8 million, and the regional police Sukkur at Rs89.655 million. Besides, Rs5.9 million has been allocated in the annual development programme (ADP) for the construction of an auditorium at the police headquarters in Hyderabad.
The DIGP technical and transport, Sindh, will get a chunk of Rs30.8 million, AIGP MT Rs150.9 million; aviation wing Rs17.98 million, AIGP telecommunication Rs431.7 million, DIGP special branch Sindh, Rs64.2 million, SSP security special branch Rs96.2 million, and SSP political special branch Rs131 million. The estimated budget for the special branch in Hyderabad and Sukkur is Rs57.57 million and Rs60.4 million, respectively.
The 45 Frontier Constabulary platoons will get an estimated amount of Rs328 million, of which Rs317 million will be spent on employee-related expenses. The government will also spend Rs650,000 with regard to the occupancy costs for the FC while Rs980,000 will be spent on repairs and maintenance.
Similarly, the Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) will get Rs410.1 million, out of which Rs226.54 million has been estimated as employee-related expenses. The government has estimated to pay the Rangers Rs18.37 million on account of communications, Rs64.68 for using utilities, Rs84 million for travelling and transportation and Rs14.5 million for the repairs and maintenance of transport and machinery equipment.
The government has estimated to spend an amount of Rs28.82 million on the Qaumi Razakar police, of which Rs28.61 will be spent on employee-related expenses including salaries and allowances.