Implementing his poll promise, and in a bid to check political interference in police functioning, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has ordered immediate scrapping of the halqa in-charge system, while denotifying the 2010 changes in the jurisdiction of police stations and police sub-divisions. The Chief Minister had, soon after taking over the state’s reins, announced that his government had decided to carry out territorial restructuring of police stations and sub-divisions to increase functional/operational efficiency. The maiden cabinet meeting of the Congress government had also approved elimination of the halqa in-charge system to put an end to the political interference that had completely demoralized the state’s police force during the SAD-BJP rule.With the denotification of the 2010 notifications, the stage has been set for making policing free and fair, as well as more effective, an official spokesperson said on Friday, adding that the reorganization of the jurisdiction will be notified soon as per fresh recommendations of the DGP.Following the move, the police stations and the sub-divisions will be de-aligned from the assembly constituencies to ensure that there is no political interference in their functioning, said the spokesperson.
This will make the functioning of the police stations and sub-divisions more efficient and people-friendly, he added. The 2010 notifications had made changes in the jurisdictions with the specific purpose of aligning them with that of the assembly constituencies. The existing arrangement would, however, continue till the old notifications are replaced with new ones in order to address any legal issues and avoid any gaps, said the spokesperson.The new/modified notifications will be issued by the state government based on the fresh recommendations of the DGP, who has been directed to submit the same within 30 days after consultations with SSPs, DCs, Range DIGs and Divisional Commissioners, said the spokesperson.The reorganization would be done based on public convenience and administrative feasibility. The proposed reorganization would be purely need based and would take into consideration the policing requirements of the area based on the population, crime, etc. The spokesperson said more police reforms, in line with the Congress manifesto promise, will follow in the next few weeks.