Naidu promises to clear pending bills worth Rs 763 cr of police dept

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday said his government would clear pending bills worth Rs 763 crore of the police department and also promised to hire 6,100 constables.

The Chief Minister gave the assurance while speaking on the occasion of Police Commemoration Day at the Indira Gandhi Municipal Stadium in Vijayawada.

The previous government (YSRCP) has left bills of the police department worth over Rs 763 crore unpaid. Will take decisions in phases to cooperate with the police department and will clear all those bills, said Naidu during his speech as part of the Police Commemoration Day.

Noting that investing in the police department is akin to investing in the state, the CM said he always gave importance to and cooperated with it.

According to Naidu, the state government has already cleared pending bills worth Rs 100 crore of the department within 125 days of coming to power.

Emphasising on the need for providing latest technologies to the police department, Naidu said policemen cannot fight criminals with old fashioned technological tools.

Only when we have an upper hand over criminals in terms of surveillance and technology, can we control them, said Naidu, promising to improve and bring advanced technology.

He accused the previous YSRCP government led by YS Jagan Mohan Reddy of using the police department as a tool for political harassment.

Slamming Reddy, the TDP supremo said the former could not release Rs 700 crore to the police department but allegedly splurged Rs 700 crore on survey stones, which bore the former CM's images.

Assuring importance to police welfare, the CM promised to commit at least Rs 20 crore every year and also build a facility at Amaravati to observe the next Police Commemoration Day from there.

I pay my tributes to police who died on duty. I assure you that I will always stand by the police who do justice and respect officials, Naidu added.