The State Home Department in Maharashtra is gearing up for a significant overhaul of its top police leadership, including the position of Director General of Police (DGP) and Police Commissioners of Nagpur and Thane. The impending retirement of the current DGP, Rajnish Seth, on December 31 has prompted the department to commence the process of selecting his successor.A top rank official said that several prominent names have emerged as contenders for the esteemed position of State DGP. The frontrunner is Senior IPS Officer Rashmi Shukla, who currently serves as the Director General (DG) of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB). Mumbai Police Commissioner Vivek Phansalkar is also a strong candidate for the role. Other notable contenders include Thane CP Jaijeet Singh, DG ATS Sadanand Date, DG Police Housing Sandeep Bishnoi, DG Railway Pradnya Sarvade, Additional Director of NIA Atulchandra Kulkarni, and DG State Security Corporation Bipin Kumar Singh, he said. He further stated that the State Home
Railway Board is continuously hammering RPF to focus more on passenger security but not taking any decision to remove shortage
By Dheeraj Fartode
Indian Railway makes no bones about its commitment to passenger security and railway property yet Railway Protection Force (RPF) finds itself grappling with staff shortage. The paramilitary force is reeling with vacancies with nearly 50% seats of constabulary lying vacant in Nagpur Division. Inspite of shortage the Central Railway and South East Central Railway directed its division to spare manpower for election duty.
Two companies of SECR and 20 constables of CR are current on election duties.
According to information, sanctioned strength of RPF CR at Nagpur Division is 576 including 380 constabulary force. 160 seats of constabulary force are lying vacant as Central Railway Headquarters have not bothered to fill-up vacancies since last four years.
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In SECR, 526 is the sanctioned strength of force including 430 posts of constabulary. According to sources, about 220 posts of constables are vacant at Nagpur Division.
In Central Railway's Nagpur Division there are eight RPF stations and seven outpost while in SECR's division has six station and six outposts. Sources informed that the force has become top heavy as there are ample number of middle and senior officers but the men needed in field, the constables, are missing from RPF. This situation is ultimately resulted in compromises on security of passenger and railway property in the division.
Sources said Railway Board is continuously hammering RPF to focus more on passenger security but at same time former is not taking any decision to remove shortage. Thefts in running trains and railway station premises is now becoming a cause of concern, as there is simply not enough manpower to man all the trains whose number are increasing everyday.
There are guidelines from Railway Board to conduct regular searches at Passenger Reservation System (PRS) but this too is affected and same is reflected in annual data of RPF at both the division.
When contacted Sr. Divisional Security Commandant (Sr. DSC), Central Railway, Nagpur Division, Ibrahim Sheriff, accepted that the force is little stretched but at the same time he contended that matter is under control. New recruitment has begun and within year end the vacancies would be filled-up.
Efforts to elicit view of division officials of SECR, Nagpur Division, went in vain as Divisional Security Commandant (DSC) D B Gaur did not respond to repeated calls. But it was learnt that SECR's Nagpur Division is very much stretched and part of its jurisdiction falls in Naxal Zone and yet manpower is not being given to the force.
Due to shortage of manpower some strategic points cannot be manned and the sources cited the example of removal of pandrol clips on Kalumna-Itwari stretch.
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