New Delhi: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath asserted on Wednesday that the ‘image’ of Uttar Pradesh has completely transformed and the state’s law and order has become a ‘model’ for the rest of the country and the world.
“Today, when we speak about rule of law, the ‘UP model’ does come to mind. UP has set an example in front of the country in establishing law and order,” the CM said, adding that, the biggest challenge, however, is to move away from the methods of British Police and create a different image of UP Police. “The policemen must show sensitivity towards common people”, he remarked.
The CM said this while inaugurating virtually 144 residential / non-residential buildings, including hostels, barracks, police stations and chowkis, built at the cost of Rs 260 crore for the Police Department at an event organised in Lok Bhawan.
“Five years back, Uttar Pradesh was considered a BIMARU state. There was no thinking of development and the law and order situation was worse. There was a sense of insecurity among businessmen, women, farmers and labourers in the state,” said Yogi.
The CM further said that after taking the charge of the state on March 19, 2017, the first thing he did was to inspect the Home Department on March 20, adding that he was baffled to see the mismanagement prevailing in the department.
“There was also lack of police personnel in the state as 54 companies of the Pradeshik Armed Constabulary (PAC) had been disbanded. At that crucial juncture, we recruited more than 1.62 lakh policemen maintaining utmost transparency,” said the CM, pointing out that the capacity of the training centres has been enhanced and steps have also been taken to modernise the police force.
Stressing the need to keep up with the pace of the world, the CM insisted on constituting the world’s largest police force in Uttar Pradesh.
“We are constantly making efforts towards modernisation of the police force in the state. Cyber labs have been established in 18 zonal headquarters for the first time. Efforts were made to set up forensic science labs. Today, the number of FSLs has gone up from 4 to 12. In addition, a Special Security Force was constituted”, CM Yogi remarked.
Furthermore, Four ATS battalions were raised while three women battalions were formed in the state, CM Yogi said, adding that three battalions of SDRF were also formed. Meanwhile, Project of safety and CCTN were implemented in the state.
Lauding the efforts of the UP Police, the Chief Minister said that for the first time in the history of the country, law and order became an issue in the elections. He said that the Government got public support and votes due to better law and order. Highlighting that the state has become a top destination for investors, the CM said that Uttar Pradesh has received investments worth Rs 4 lakh crore due to the improved law and order situation.
The state has also set an example before the country by removing unnecessary loudspeakers installed at religious sites, or reducing their volumes across the state quietly with harmony.
The Chief Minister said that the Police had also shut down illegal bus and taxi stands running in the state and people felt much safer and fearless in the state now while on the contrary, criminals were panicky.
Maintaining that for the first time any government focused on providing infrastructure facilities to the Police Department, the CM said, “There were no barracks earlier. I did a surprise inspection of the Lucknow Police Lines and noticed there were no barracks. The living condition for the ‘jawans’ was wery poor. So, to strengthen the policing system and provide a better living conditions for police personnel, in a meeting with the Home Department, a fund of Rs 6000 crore was provided immediately for the department to improve its infrastructure facilities.”
The CM asserted that they will be successful in modernising the UP Police force. “Construction of new buildings, barracks, police stations and hostels will not only strengthen the policing system, but also be beneficial to police personnel and improve their living conditions. It is part of the modernisation drive for our police force.”
CM remarked furher, “Technology is necessary, but with technology our sensitivity towards humans should not disappear. We should not remain imprisoned in technology. Colonial methods in terms of infrastructure and uniform still dominate the Indian Police. We must work towards changing the image of UP Police.”
Mentioning his recent interaction with the CBSE board topper from Shamli, he said, “even such a young girl praised the law and order situation in the state and said that girls are no more afraid of leaving their homes after the sunset.”
Yogi said that the biggest challenge in front of the young generation is drug addiction. Now a massive campaign is being run against drug dealers because it is a crime against the nation. We have the most passionate youth of the country and it is our duty to protect the future of our country.
