Karaikudi (Tamil Nadu), Feb 27: Voicing concern over vacancies in police department in the country, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram today asked state governments to fill the posts for “good” internal security.
 The number of posts vacant in the police department in various states would come to 3.50 lakh. The state governments should have filled the vacancies but they were not doing so, he said addressing a meeting on the Union budget here, in his native Sivaganga district.
 “Please fill police posts. Then only there will be really good internal security in the states,” he said.
 Chidambaram said, on the one hand, robust youths were without jobs and on the other there were enormous vacancies in the police department.
 So was the case with teachers and nurses...There were many trained teachers and nurses... Still teachers’ posts remained vacant. “It is a curse of the nation.”
 He said there were only 130 policemen for one lakh population in the country whereas as per the UN’s norm it should be 250.
 Because the police strength was so low they had to work very hard. On an average a policeman, had to stand 12 to 14 hours a day. In border areas the condition was bad police guard the borders for 18 hours a day.
 “One should never look at police with contempt as they are very hard working. But for the sacrifice of a Maharashtra policemen who held the gun of terrorist Ajmal Kasab boldly and died, he could not have been arrested,” he said.
 Chidambaram said in cities like Delhi, police were not even getting holidays. They were working so hard. Policemen also give their lives for people’s security.
 Regretting the recent bomb blast in Pune, he said “It is a black spot after 14 months when there were no incidents.”
 On the budget allocation for internal security, he said Rs 30,000 crore had been earmarked for 2010-11 and it would be effectively spent for border fencing and purchase of new equipment etc.
 Referring to allocation of Rs 1,47,344 crore for defence, he said “We are not enemies of any country. But Pakistan is considering us as their enemy and China as their competitor or rival.”
 The world nations had predicted that India and China would emerge as superpowers after Russia and America and it was important that “we should be cautious and protect our borders”, he said.

Lastupdate on : Sat, 27 Feb 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sat, 27 Feb 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sun, 28 Feb 2010 00:00:00 IST