
The Maharastra state Police Wireless Communication wing,which is headquartered in Pune and considered to be the lifeline of law enforcement in the state,is functioning with only 40-45 per cent of the technical manpower required at present. It manages 53 wireless units of police establishments across the state.
One of the wings of the police machinery slated for modernisation after the 26/11 terror attack in Mumbai was the police wireless communication department,which runs the essential one-to-many communication within police jurisdictions. Several new handsets and communication equipment were acquired after 26/11 but no technical staff has been recruited since 2004. We require technicians,mechanics and operators for routine work. Many personnel retire every year,thereby creating vacancies at crucial positions, said a member of the technical staff at the central control unit.
An senior official with the Home Ministry said,The process to revise the criterion of educational qualification is on for the past few years,which is why no recruitment has taken place. We expect the process to be over soon but there may come a time when the shortage will be severe,as is the case in some districts now.
The situation at Pune rural and Pune city wireless units is serious. We require at least 55 staffers to operate the units in the district. At present,we have 16 personnel,of which only 10 are on duty at any given time. For Pune city,the situation is the same. We cannot afford to be short-staffed, said a police officer.
Suresh Kakkad,the newly appointed director of police wireless wing said,There are vacancies as the case is in any division. I wont be able to comment on specific number of vacancies from any particular unit. He,however,said steps would be taken to fill the gaps.