Rs 347 cr for internal security in Gujarat

Asserting that the state government is firmly determined to exterminate terrorism in the state,Gujarat Finance Minister Vajubhai Vala....

Asserting that the state government is firmly determined to exterminate terrorism in the state,Gujarat Finance Minister Vajubhai Vala told the Assembly on Tuesday that the budgetary allocation for the Home Department for 2009-10 had been raised by 69.38 per cent from the previous years,that is,from Rs 204.65 crore to Rs 346.65 crore.

During his speech on Modified Budget Estimates for 2009-10,Vala said a decision had been taken to set up 13 bomb disposal squads at the district and commissionerate headquarters at a cost of Rs 8.07 crore to strengthen the security infrastructure. He said as many as 11 women police stations would also be set up at an estimated cost of Rs 5.52 crore during the current financial year.

Vala told the House that Rs 96 crore had been allotted for police modernisation,including purchase of latest security equipment. Another sum of Rs 62 crore has been set aside for setting up two additional battalions of the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) one at Bhuj and the other at Jamnagar.

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The state government,Vala said,had allocated Rs 24.94 crore for the construction of new jails as well as modernisation of the existing ones.

As for meeting housing requirements,the minister said the state government had made a provision of Rs 26 crore for construction of quarters for policemen and jawans of the SRPF during the current year.

The minister also said since coastal security had assumed vital importance post-26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai,the state government had submitted a coastal security plan of Rs 392.47 crore to the Central Government. However,the Centre had so far released only Rs 58.42 crore,which was too little,Vala added.

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