|
Lucknow: Even as the
Uttar Pradesh Police gears up to launch a new helpline for women
four days from now, 20 of the 43 police stations in the state
capital have non-functional telephones, disconnected over
non-payment of bills.
Sources in the district police confirmed to IANS that these police
stations fail to reach crime scenes promptly as most people try to
contact them on their "dead phones". The numbers are displayed in
bold letters across the city.
While most Station House Officers (SHO) have close user group (CUG)
mobile phones, they are rarely answered.
Anju Jain, a resident of Gomtinagar, who faced continuous
harassment by local goons, told IANS that while CUG numbers of
officials are displayed everywhere, they rarely answer. If they
do, they ask the caller to call the police station.
"How does one call a police station when their phones are
disconnected?" Jain asked.
According to the police department, telephones in important police
stations like Alambagh, Aliganj, Aashiana, Banthara, Bakshi Ka
Talaab, Cantonment, Chinhat, Itaunja, Gudamba, Krishnanagar,
Manaknagar, Malihabad, Nigohan, Talkatora, Thakurganj, Gosainganj,
Mohanlalganj, Nagram and Vibhuti Khand in Gomtinagar are
non-functional due to non-payment of bills.
The 20 police stations cover about half the population of the
state capital and some parts of the old city, a communally
sensitive area.
Even the Mahila Thana's (women's police station) telephone has
been disconnected over non-payments of bills. The number 2261000,
similar helpline to 1090 -- the women's cell telephone number --
launched a few months ago has been non-functional following the
transfer of Senior Superintendent of Police Ashutosh Pandey.
Officials said that Lucknow Police has been sanctioned Rs.8.30
lakh for the current financial year for landline telephone bills.
Out of this, Rs.5.07 lakh has already been spent.
BSNL officials said while Rs.11 lakh was due against landline
telephones used by police in the city, they "given a long rope"
and "grace periods" to them, to no avail.
"What do we do with unpaid bills running into lakhs of rupees and
no sign of their payments anytime soon?" said a BSNL fficial.
While admitting that telephones were disconnected, Senior
Superintendent of Police Lucknow R.K. Chaturevdi said that data of
usage and billing amounts was being collected to facilitate
payments. "We are trying to ensure that all data comes to us soon
and that we clear the dues soon and get the lines restored," he
added.
(Mohit Dubey can be contacted at mohit.d@ians.in)
|
Comments
|
Quick links