UP CM holds meeting with officials to review law and order

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath held a meeting with officials to review the law-and-order situation in the state on Wednesday.

The meeting assumes significance as in the past few days, the state has witnessed a spate of heinous crimes -- ranging from rapes of toddlers, incidents of crime against women and even an attack on a journalist.

Adityanath directed the officials present at the meeting to ensure that there was no compromise on law and order.

"In the districts, the district magistrates and senior superintendents of police or superintendents of police are directly responsible for the law-and-order situation. Hence, they have to work by adopting strictness, boldness and impartiality. A close watch should be maintained on anti-social elements, and immediate and effective remedial action should be initiated at every level," he said.

Orders were also issued to review the functioning of the anti-Romeo squads and stop the incidents of crime against women. People should be made aware of the various welfare and empowerment measures initiated by the government for women, the chief minister said.

Issues of land disputes should be identified and jointly disposed of by police and revenue officials, he said, adding that all government land should be freed from encroachments.

Instructions were issued to conduct raids at all possible places from where illegal and spurious liquor was being sold. The public should also be made aware about the spurious liquor being sold from illegal outlets, Adityanath said.

He asked the DMs, SSPs and SPs to conduct surprise checks at the jails across the state, so that criminal activities were not carried out from prisons.

A concrete strategy should also be made to evolve a solution to the serious traffic problems in various cities of the state, the chief minister said.

Instructions were also issued to adopt a zero-tolerance approach towards corruption.

The meeting lasted for over four hours.

The chief minister also made it clear that there should be no lack of communication and signs of insensitivity while redressing the grievances of the public, state Chief Secretary Anup Chandra Pandey told reporters here.

Director General of Police (DGP) OP Singh said the chief minister had also laid an emphasis on speedy and qualitative disposal of cases pertaining to cyber crime.

Instructions were given to stop cow smuggling and directives were issued to activate the State Disaster Response Force ahead of the monsoon, he said.

Besides Pandey and Singh, the meeting was attended by the principal secretary (home), additional chief secretaries and principal secretaries of various departments and all the DMs, SSPs and SPs of the state.