Suvendu Adhikari honours 10 cops for role in Taratala rescue operation

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari awarded Jeevan Raksha Padaks to 10 Kolkata Police personnel for their role in rescuing people during the Taratala godown collapse. He also announced plans to strengthen police infrastructure, recruitment, cybercrime response and the Anti-Corruption Bureau

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday awarded 10 Kolkata Police personnel with the Jeevan Raksha Padak for their exemplary contribution to the search and rescue operation during the Taratala godown collapse in June. Adhikari, who also holds the Home portfolio, said the government and the various rescue agencies have to handle incidents triggered by natural calamities, human error and sabotage.

He was addressing an investiture ceremony for the presentation of the Jeevan Raksha Padak at the Kolkata Police headquarters here.The chief minister said he had asked the state’s Director General of Police to introduce the Jeevan Raksha Padak (Life Saving Medal) for saving precious lives during disasters, whether natural or in cases of bridge or building collapses.

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Adhikari said he has seen incidents like the collapse of the Vivekananda Road flyover in 2016 and that of the Majherhat flyover two years later in Kolkata, where people could not be saved. “But in the Taratala shed collapse, I witnessed how the lives of around 20 people were saved,” he said, pointing to the June 24 warehouse collapse in the southwest Kolkata locality that claimed 16 lives.

He lauded the Kolkata Police, Fire Brigade, Kolkata Municipal Corporation, the local people, the Army and the NDRF for search and rescue operations.

“On the basis of a report from the Kolkata Police, the West Bengal government’s Home department awarded 10 people the Jeevan Raksha Padak for their exemplary contribution to the search and rescue operation at Taratala,” Adhikari said.

Adhikari presented the medals to Joint Commissioner (Armed Police) of Kolkata Police, Vaibhav Tiwary, Deputy Commissioner of Police, southwest division, Ishani Paul, inspectors Somnath Mitra, Prasenjit Chatterjee, Silash Toppo, assistant sub-inspectors Prasenjit Ghosh, Paritosh Adhikari, sepoys Sk, Zia-ul Karim, Basudev Dutta and Mrinal Mukherjee. The chief minister said that several IPS officers were felicitated during the Independence Day celebration, and the criteria for the awards were based on the reports of the Election Commission and the poll observers in holding the April state assembly elections in a free and fair manner.

“The selection was done on the basis of the reports; I did not interfere in the selection,” he said. Maintaining that incidents like stone-throwing at the Vande Bharat Express and placing obstacles on railway tracks will occur, he said the government must continue to deal with such acts of sabotage.

The chief minister asserted that it is the government’s duty to award and felicitate those who play exemplary roles in the search and rescue operations in case of such incidents.

“I also commend the police and fire brigade personnel for their quick response in the two hotel fires in Tarapith and Kolkata (earlier this month),” he said. “In the fire at the hotel near the New Market area in Kolkata, the Fire Brigade could save around 80 lives; otherwise the casualty would have been 90 instead of 10,” Adhikari said.

Stating that official orders and communications alone will not suffice for ensuring the dedication of personnel below, the chief minister asserted that bonding with them must be strengthened further. He sought to assure the police personnel that further welfare measures will be initiated for them, asking lower-rung officials not to be afraid of sending him suggestions for infrastructure betterment.

Lamenting the poor condition of infrastructure in the police force inherited by his government, the CM said efforts are underway to improve it. He said that the DGP has told him that 4,000 vehicles are required for the police force in the state. “I told him to buy these in phases of 1,000 at one go,” he said.

There are 43,000 vacancies in the state’s police force, Adhikari said, adding: “There will be thousands of new recruitments in the force; we have to increase manpower.” Maintaining that logistics must be improved, Adhikari said that new police stations will also be established wherever required.

He said that the focus must increase on dealing with cybercrimes, which are on the rise. Stating that 50 companies of central forces are currently in West Bengal to assist the state police, Adhikari said the Centre has assured them it will send 50 more companies, and another 50 later.

“The Union Home Secretary has asked the DGP to send a letter for recruiting jawans for the Indian Reserve Battalion, funds for this will be provided by the Centre,” he said, maintaining that this will be done. He urged the police force to work according to the law and maintain goodwill among the people. “We will strengthen the Anti-Corruption Bureau in the state within six months,” he said.