Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, Oct 30: A PCR vehicle belonging to Khandagiri police station is gathering dust for the past one month as it is in need of immediate repair and maintenance.
Police sources said PCR 16 has not been operational for the past one month as the vehicle is in a bad shape. “Khandagiri police station, which is one of the busiest police stations here and vulnerable to crimes, is relying on only one PCR vehicle. There are three shifts in a day for the PCR vehicle officials. While the day’s patrolling begins at 6am, the second shift starts at 2pm, and the late night shift at 10pm. One havildar, three home guards, and a driver of the vehicle patrol in Khandagiri area as per their shifts,” the sources said.
“However, the PCR-16 staff who are supposed to patrol in the area are sitting idle for over a month because the Commissionerate police is in no hurry to repair the vehicle,” the sources added.The two PCR vehicles are supposed to patrol around a radius of 25km under Khandagiri police station’s jurisdiction.
Meanwhile, Khandagiri police inspector-in-charge Sarat Kumar Sahu confirmed to Orissa POST that PCR-16 was not being used for patrolling.“We have sent the vehicle to a workshop for repair,” he said.
A couple of months back, four unidentified miscreants shot at two persons, including a jewellery shop owner, before fleeing with cash and ornaments in Dumduma under Khandagiri police limits.The incident occurred when Raghunath Sahoo, owner of a jewellery shop, was returning home with his employee Chunu when they were intercepted by the criminals.
Faced with stiff resistance, the assailants opened fire which left them injured. The injured, with gunshots on legs and other parts of the body, were rushed to a private hospital for treatment.
The commissionerate police as of now has 33 PCR vehicles in the capital city and out of which at least three vehicles are gathering dust since they are in need of maintenance.The commissionerate police has reportedly sent a proposal to the state government for providing them ten more PCR vehicles for the Capital city.