Assam CM Sonowal Fails to Fill Sanctioned Posts, Guwahati Police Heavily Understaffed

Guwahati, September 11, 2019:

Despite making tall promises of providing jobs to the unemployed youth of the State in the run-up to elections, the Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, it seems, has failed to fill even the sanctioned posts in the police department.

According to top official sources, the population of the city was 9 lakhs in 2011, however, less than a decade later, the number stands at only 22 lakh.

The largest city in Assam has witnessed a sea change in the past decade. In terms of population, area, trade, industrialization, and several other facets, the metro has grown by leaps and bounds, and is now one of the fastest-growing cities.

However, despite the growth in population, there are many factors where the city is lagging behind. The promise of providing jobs by the Assam Chief Minister Sonowal, for instance, is yet to be fulfilled. Nowhere is this as evident as in the lack of police personnel in the city.

As per the top official sources, the number of police personnel currently deployed in the city are hardly enough to keep pace with the growth of the city. Of the 1,758 posts sanctioned in the 'unarmed branch' (in the constable category) of the Guwahati police department, however, only 859 are filled. In the armed branch, 718 posts have been sanctioned, while the present strength is only 624.

Of the 29 sanctioned posts in the 'Inspector' category, only 26 have been filled. Even more shockingly, of the sanctioned 225 SI posts, only 137 have been filled.

22 more posts are empty in the ASI, head constable, and head constable posts in the city.

Meanwhile, somewhat curiously, the number of sanctioned posts for female constables are 66, whereas present women constable number 194.

This is indeed concerning, as the lack of personnel in the police department shows that they are not well-equipped to deal with a major crisis. Moreover, the lack of posts filled shows that the Government is hardly committed to fulfilling its promises of filling all the Government departments with the required number of personnel.

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