Sylhet city yet to see four proposed police stations
Two and a half years after launching of Sylhet Metropolitan Police (SMP), four proposed new police stations under it are yet to be set up.
Sylhet Kotwali and Dakshin Surma police stations under the metropolitan police are too inadequate to provide security for inhabitants of Sylhet city area covering 499-square kilometre while the SMP is suffering due to shortage of manpower and lack of other facilities.
Although Sylhet division was constituted in 1994, SMP formally started functioning on October 26 in 2006 with Kotwali and Dakshin Surma police stations under it.
There were proposal for early start of four other police stations -- Jalalabad, Shahporan, Moglabazar and Airport but works are yet to start for the purpose. The Kotwali police find it hard to maintain law and order in a huge area under its jurisdiction.
The SMP is suffering from manpower shortage as about one third of its sanctioned posts have remained vacant since the very inception.
There is only one deputy police commissioner against four posts while the two sanctioned posts of additional deputy police commissioners are vacant, SMP sources said.
Only six assistant police commissioners are working here against a total of 27 sanctioned posts. A good number of posts sanctioned by the home ministry have been lying vacant for long.
In the beginning, office of the SMP commissioner was temporarily housed at the small tin-shed rest house of Water Development Board (WDB) at Naiorpul in the city.
In absence of own arrangement, the SMP personnel were accommodated at the Range Reserve Force (RRF) police lines. The officials are also suffering for want of housing facility.
Still now, no initiative has been taken to establish SMP's own building.
“All necessary papers and documents have been submitted to the home ministry. Now the matter would get a speedy implementation as SMP Bill was passed in parliament a few days ago,” SMP Commissioner Syed Toufique Uddin Ahmed said.
However, the official could not give any idea about the time to start functioning of the new police stations.
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