Hyderabad Police patrol vehicles running out of fuel, literally!

At several police stations in the city, the drivers, with recommendations of Sub-Inspectors and even Station House Officers, are reportedly approaching private persons to pay for fuel for patrol vehicles

Hyderabad: The dependence of police patrol vehicles on private resources other than the department’s fuel outlets to fill the fuel tanks of vehicles is denting the image of the city police.

In several police stations in the city, the drivers with recommendations of the Sub-Inspectors and even Station House Officers (SHOs) are reportedly approaching private persons to fund the fuel for patrol vehicles.

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While the higher ups in the department maintain that sufficient fuel is allocated to the police patrol vehicles depending upon the distance covered during patrolling, the drivers complain that the fuel allocated is not sufficient, forcing them to search for alternative resources.

Earlier, the police drivers say they were allocated 200-220 litres of fuel a month. Now, this has been reduced to 160-180 litres a month.

“The fuel quota exhausts by the 20th of any month. In the last 10 days of the month we have to depend on alternative resources to fill the tanks. Sometimes, we are forced to ask the petitioners or families of suspects to foot the fuel bill,” said a driver of a patrol car on condition of anonymity, adding that constables chip in to convince people to help us.

Another driver working in the southeast zone said they are directed to keep patrolling the area during small disturbances in the localities.

“Only during big bandobast we are allocated additional fuel. For small disturbances, when intensified patrolling is done, there is no additional allocation. Our alternative, the fuel given as ‘goodwill’ by fuel stations, is pocketed away by Sub-Inspectors and Inspectors for personal use,” said another policeman, who did not want to be named.

According to reliable sources, some business establishments are directly paying fuel stations and asking them to dispense fuel to police vehicles. Bar and restaurant owners, billiards and snooker managements, multiplex owners and companies in industrial areas and helping out the police.

An official of the Motor Transport Wing of the city police said the complaints of low allocation have no truth as there is GPS fitted to every police patrol vehicle and after conducting an audit of the fuel requirements, the fuel quota was fixed. The distance covered by the vehicle in a day and the vehicle mileage was calculated and the fuel quota fixed.

“Whenever there is additional requirement at the request of the SHO or higher officials, additional fuel is being provided to vehicles,” said the official.

Another official pointed out that the drivers go out in police vehicles for work not related to official duties, thereby using the fuel allotted for official duties. “There are instances when they go out to get tea, food, snacks or meet some local leaders for personal benefits. They should be honest in their duty,” he said.