Patna: The state’s first ever river police station to tame dreaded criminal gangs operating in river belts and diaras will be made operational within a fortnight.
“I have asked the officials of the Bihar Police Building Construction Corporation to complete the installation of portable huts for the policemen to be deployed at the river police station within a fortnight,†Bihar Director General of Police (DGP) Neel Mani said.
Initially, this police station, in Patna City’s Kachchi Dargarh locality near Deedarganj intersection, would have strength of 10-15 policemen. “The strength will be increased later as per the requirement of the force for the police station,†the DGP said, adding that mechanized boasts would be provided to the river police station to patrol the rivers and launch a special drive against notorious criminal gangs operating in river belts and diaras.
Well trained jawans of the district armed police as well as the Bihar Military Police would be deputed at the river police station. Sources in the state police headquarters said that four other river police stations would be set up soon at Bhagalpur, Bagaha (West Champaran), Supaul and Buxar districts respectively.
A major part of these districts, including Patna, have rivers and diara land, which till date are virtually inaccessible for the policemen. The death of 12 persons, including two villagers and 10 Maoists, in an exchange of fire between the armed squad members of the CPI (Maoist) and those of a criminal gang on Monday in Munger’s Hiranman diara, has exposed the security arrangements in river belts and diara land.
“The process of laying the foundation stone for installing portable huts to accommodate the policemen to be deputed at the river police station in Patna has already started. We hope to complete the process by the end of next week and make it operational within a fortnight,†said Ashok Kumar Gupta, Additional Director General-cum-Managing Director of the Bihar Police Building Construction Corporation, which has been assigned the task.