Cash crunch forces Maha police to call for austerity measures

Facing paucity of funds, the Maharashtra police department has asked all its units to save the available money by adopting austerity measures like reducing power consumption.

Special Inspector General of Police (IGP), Administration, of Maharashtra Police, Krishna Prakash, has recently issued a circular to this effect.

As per the circular, the government has released only 60 per cent of the budget allocated to the department so far this year.

The police department comes under the state Home Ministry held by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

In the circular, Prakash has directed the police staff to cut down on unnecessary expenses as the department was facing shortage of funds.

"The state government has released only 60 per cent of the sanctioned funds for 2019-20," the circular said.

The IGP also suggested five-point steps to overcome the situation.

He asked the force to go for energy-saving electric appliances. "Reduce power consumption by using energy-saving electric appliances, including fans, lights and air- conditioner," he said in the circular.

According to a police officer, funds were allocated on the basis of last year's expenditure for meeting obligations till December 2019.

In the circular, the IGP also urged the staff not to use vehicles for unnecessary work, thereby saving fuel costs.

However, a police officer said that visibility of the force on the street is important to keep crime in check.

Therefore, the instructions to save fuel will compel the police to reduce patrolling across the state, which could result in the rising crime, the officer added.

The IGP has also sought a detailed report on the savings and expenditure, and warned of strict action if the units are found submitting false reports. He has sought the required information by October 10.