The state government has decided to bring Salt Lake, Lake Town, New Town, Baguiati and the airport area under a police commissionerate as the North-24 Parganas police are failing to maintain law and order there.
“The district police for various reasons are unable to ensure peaceful atmosphere for the residents of the fringe areas. So the government has decided to bring these areas under a police commissionerate that will function like the Calcutta police commissionerate,” said a senior officer.
This will be the fourth police commissionerate in the state after Calcutta, Howrah and Asansol.
“The previous government had decided to bring Salt Lake under Calcutta police. But the new government wants Salt Lake, New Town, Lake Town, Baguiati and the airport area under a new commissionerate,” said an official in the chief minister’s office.
The police commissioner who will head the commissionerate will be of the inspector-general rank. To assist him there will be 10-12 IPS officers. The area under the commissionerate will be divided into four to five divisions. There will be dedicated wings to tackle crime and regulate traffic.
According to sources, criminals enjoy a free run on the fringes because of a lack of vigil. “The state police have only one dedicated wing — CID — to deal with criminals. The CID has its units in the districts but they are not effective enough to curb crime because of poor infrastructure,” said the officer.
Last month, trader Mohammad Salauddin had been shot near tank 13 in Salt Lake in the early hours. On Saturday evening, a gang of extortionists had stormed a car showroom on Jessore Road, near the airport, beat up the owner and looted Rs 2 lakh. Residents blocked the Jessore Road-VIP Road crossing to protest lawlessness.
“Besides law and order, traffic on VIP Road is a serious issue. Now, nearly 20 policemen are deployed to regulate traffic on the 8km stretch of VIP Road, from Ultadanga to the airport. We expect the traffic flow to improve after the commissionerate starts functioning,” the officer said.
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