Public safety: Over 100 new projects planned for the Police Department

Largest share of development budget goes to Counter Terrorism Department.

LAHORE: Allocation for the Public Order and Safety Affairs is estimated at Rs123 billion – a 9.03 per cent increase over last year’s allocation.

Of the Rs87.9 billion – total allocation for the Police Department – Rs2.59 billion has been set aside for development projects. The rest will be utilised under various heads including salary, POL and inventories among others.

Of the development budget for the department, Rs921.5 million has been allocated for 94 on-going schemes and Rs1.672 billion for 102 new projects.

Of the on-going schemes, the largest amount – Rs100 million – has been allocated for the construction of the Punjab Police Integrated Command, Control and Communication Centre at Qurban Lines, Lahore.

Among new projects, the largest share of the development budget – Rs1 billion – has been reserved for the construction of infrastructure for the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) across the Punjab. The total allocation for the CTD has been increased to Rs4.4 billion. According to the white paper on budget, the additional allocation was made to supplement the emergent needs of law and order, jails and administration of justice.

Other projects include the establishment of a knowledge management system to strengthen the capacity of police, the construction of 72 new police stations, and the establishment of 80 police service centres.

Last year, the Police Department was allocated Rs81 billion of which Rs75 billion was utilised.

The development budget for the Prisons Department is Rs3.2 billion and the rest of the allocation for the department, Rs75 billion, will be utilised under various heads including salary, POL, and inventory among others.

Of the total development budget, Rs1.4 billion has been allocated for 18 on-going schemes and Rs365 has been set aside for 23 new schemes. Water filtration plants will be installed at all jails except at Vehari district jail at a cost of Rs14.7 million. Of the total development budget for prisons, Rs950 million will be spent on the construction of five jails in Hafizabad, Narowal, Rajanpur, Khanewal and Lodhran and Rs200 million will be spent on the establishment of the Punjab Prisons Staff Training College at Sahiwal.

The allocation for Rescue-1122 is Rs3.188 billion, of which Rs1.9 billion has been allocated for development projects. Funds will be utilised to establish Rescue-1122 offices in 62 tehsils at a cost of Rs140 million, the Emergency Services Academy, Lahore, will be improved at a cost of Rs150 million, and capacity building of Rescue-1122 officials at a cost of Rs350.9 million, among others.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 13^th, 2015.