Maharashtra to begin drive to fill up 12,000 police posts

The Maharashtra state government announced here today that the next phase of the police recruitment drive to fill up 12,000 posts would begin from October this year.
Talking to reporters here, Maharashtra's Minister of State for Home Ram Shinde said that strengthening the police force is an important aspect of its modernisation and upgradation.
"The previous government had initiated a drive to recruit 60,000 police personnel, after which 24,000 posts have been filled up," he said, adding that the next phase of recruiting 12,000 police personnel would begin in October.
He said that at present there are 2.19 lakh police personnel in the state excluding those stationed in Mumbai.

The strength of the Mumbai police force is 55,000, he said.
He said that a 55-acre plot in suburban Mankhurd which originally belonged to the Maharashtra state revenue department has been transferred to the state home department to construct a prison with a capacity to hold 2,500 prisoners.

"A jail will be constructed at Mankhurd and the proposal was cleared by the state government today," he said.
When asked to comment about the criticism that he had inaugurated a bar in Ahmednagar district yesterday, Shinde said, "I inaugurated a family restaurant and not a bar. The place was inaugurated since it had all legal permissions. If it is found violating any terms and conditions, action will be taken".

Shinde also said that the inauguration of "the family restaurant" was attended by "several political leaders" from the district.
Replying to a question about how BJP leaders sought prohibition in Chandrapur though they want bars in Ahmednagar, Shinde said that prohibition has been imposed in Chandrapur and not in Ahmednagar.