CM Suvendu Adhikari at Lalbazar on Thursday
Kolkata: Police will respond to natural disasters or law-and-order breakdowns without delay, CM Suvendu Adhikari announced at Lalbazar on Thursday, and said all 552 police stations across Bengal will receive four emergency response vehicles. The initial batch, funded by an allocated budget of Rs 100 crore, is scheduled to roll out by Mahalaya. Deploying four vehicles per police station linked to the 112 helpline aims to bridge this gap, he added. The CM said Police Welfare Board will be reconstituted to include all ranks and provided with dedicated funding, and postings closer to home districts would be considered for female officers with over 15 years of service. The CM commended emergency services for saving lives during structural collapses and fires and noted that he hosted a lunch for over 1,000 state and central rescue personnel to foster operational coordination during crises.
Comparing police response times, Adhikari said while Uttar Pradesh maintains a six-minute average, Bengal experienced delays of up to three hours. Speaking at an event where 10 officers received the “Jeevan Rakshak” award for exemplary bravery during Taratala rescue operations, the CM said while state govt will fill 43,000 vacant police posts, the home department will finance an Indian Reserve Battalion — its specialised armed unit — of 10,000 to 15,000 jawans and replace nearly 4,000 ageing police vehicles in phases. Adhikari outlined plans to modernise police stations, enhance women’s help desks and strengthen cyber surveillance. He directed officers to take prompt and independent action in anti-national cases, incidents such as RG Kar and matters under Pocso Act, promising complete political backing.