Murad approves Rs1.6bn Sindh Toll Plaza Surveillance project

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Tuesday chaired a meeting at the CM House, where he approved the Rs1.6 billion Sindh Toll Plaza Surveillance Project to increase security at the entry points of the province through the installation of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras at 40 toll plazas.

The meeting was attended by Sindh IGP Ghulam Nabi Memon, Home Secretary Saeed Mangnijo, Principal Secretary to CM Fayaz Jatoi, Investigation Additional IGP Munir Shaikh, Finance Secretary Sajid Jamal Abro and other officers concerned.

CM Shah said that there was a dire need to increase security at the entry points of the province. He said that the province had 40 toll plazas, where high-definition CCTV cameras should be installed to ensure proper electronic surveillance.

IGP Memon told the CM that the police department had prepared the Rs1.56 billion Sindh Toll Plaza Surveillance Project.

He said that the CCTV cameras would have full-frame and automatic number plate recognition capabilities with a centralised monitoring and alert system for blacklisted vehicles and criminals.

After a discussion, the chief executive of the province gave his approval to the project, and directed the provincial police chief to launch the project at the earliest.

Inquiry allowance

The meeting also discussed granting investigation allowance to police investigators. The CM said that the plan was to incentivise investigators so that they conduct proper investigations into criminal cases and win them in courts. “That is why I want to give investigation allowance to investigators.”

Mangnijo said that the scheme under consideration was prepared and sent to the finance department. The CM directed the finance secretary to process the scheme and send it to him for approval.

Equipment

The IGP said that with the approval of the CM, a Rs2.7 billion scheme for the purchase of sophisticated field weapons and surveillance equipment was prepared and sent to the finance department through the home department.

The CM said that he had approved the scheme and wanted the police to eradicate the menace of dacoits in the Kutcha areas using latest weapons.

He said that this dacoit factor in the Kutcha areas of the Sukkur and Larkana divisions had become a persisting threat to peace in the province, adding that dacoits in the Kutcha areas of Sindh, Punjab and Balochistan were a threat to peace in the three provinces.

“I want the police to purchase the necessary equipment and launch a joint operation with the police of Punjab and Balochistan to bring an end to the outlaws once and for all.”

Crowd management

Another matter that came under discussion at the meeting was the expansion of the Rapid Response Force (RRF) and the establishment of the Crowd Management Unit.

The IGP told the CM that work on the expansion of the RRF and the establishment of the Crowd Management Unit was in progress.

The police chief said that some posts of police officers were required to be redesignated for the purpose, adding that a proposal to this effect had been sent to the finance department for approval.

The CM directed the finance department to speed up the redesignation of the posts so that the necessary transfers and postings for the expansion of the RRF and the activation of the Crowd Management Unit could be made.

Police quarters

The IGP said that 8,000 residential quarters of the Sindh police had been damaged by the recent heavy rains and floods. He said that various training barracks had also been affected badly. The CM approved Rs4 billion for repairing and renovating the residential quarters, and Rs2 billion for repairing the training barracks.