Over two dozen posts of State Police dept to be filled soon

If the State Government accepts the Director General of Police’s (DGP) recent recommendation for the relaxation in the minimum service period of PPS officers required for promotion, more than two dozen posts at the Additional SP level will be filled very soon.

Like most other Government departments in Uttarakhand, the police department too is facing the staff crunch, especially at the senior officers’ level. At present, there are 25 vacant posts of Additional Superintendents of Police in various categories which have to be filled by Provincial Police Service (PPS) officers.

The police department is facing difficulties due to these important posts lying vacant and the officers’ workload is increasing. So much so, that a few retired officers are being hired on contract basis to work in various capacities including in the Police Headquarters. For instance, Jaswant Singh who retired as Additional SP in July, has been retained in the PHQ on contract basis.

After his retirement, the post of SP city remained vacant for about a fortnight as the department has acute shortage of officers at that level.

According to department sources there are as many officers who qualify to fill these posts but they do not fulfil the criterion of serving for at least seven years before they could get promotion.

According to department sources, there are at least 30 such officers who can be promoted to Additional SP ranks but for a technical glitch. These officers have about 17 days less than seven years of service as on July 1, 2012.

“It is a technical glitch and if it is addressed the vacant posts can be filled immediately. The work is being affected in the absence of officers at that level. The DGP has written to the government to give service period relaxation to these PPS officers. According to Uttarakhand Police Service Rules, such relaxation can be given to officers,” said a senior official in the PHQ.

If the DGP has his way, all the PPS officers of 2005 batch and earlier batches would

qualify for promotion.

The poineer