PAC flags lack of manpower, weapons, ammunition for Guj police

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Gujarat Assembly today said the state police and its anti-terror wing suffered from serious shortage of staff, weapons, ammunition and other infrastructure.
Police were facing almost 60 per cent shortage of arms and ammunition, PAC said in its report tabled in the House.
"The CAG audit (in 2009) noted that police should have enough stock of ammunition....However, the audit found acute shortage...This compelled the forces to compromise in terms of firepower," said the report, adding that the situation had not improved in the last seven years.
Against the requirement of two lakh cartridges of INSAS rifles, not a single cartridge was in stock in 2008-09 and so these rifles remained unused. "As we share border with Pakistan, such shortage is indeed worrisome," PAC said.

"The CAG had pointed out that ATS (Anti-Terrorist Squad) personnel were not given any specialised training....Lower- rank staff such as inspectors and sub inspectors were not given any INSAS rifles as suggested by the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D)," said the PAC.
INSAS rifles were alloted later, but they were useless due to non-availability of cartridges, it said.

As per the latest data, almost 50 per cent posts in ATS were vacant against the sanctioned strength of 70, it said.
"CAG made such observations in March 2009...The situation has actually deteriorated as of May 2016," it said.
"We recommend the government to fill up vacant posts at the earliest, provide them training and provide enough arms and ammunition," said the report.

The border district of Banaskantha has only one four-wheeler for 15 police stations, while Kutch district has only 33 four-wheelers for 44 police stations, it said.
"The communication wing was facing acute shortage of manpower. Against the sanctioned strength of 32 wireless Police Inspectors, 30 posts were lying vacant," it said.
PAC, with members from both ruling BJP and opposition Congress, is currently headed by Congress' Shaktisinh Gohil. PAC's job is to scrutinise CAG audits and make recommendations.