Telangana Cabinet approves 3,966 new police posts to fight drugs menace

HYDERABAD: The Telangana State Cabinet on Saturday approved a host of key decisions including job recruitments in the State police department and development works pertaining to the Roads and Buildings Department.

Approving new job recruitments in the police department, the Cabinet decided to further strengthen the department, which became a role model for the country in the maintenance of law and order. The Cabinet decided to utilise new technology to control crime and recruit staff accordingly in the wake of fast-developing technology and changing social conditions and crime patterns.

The cabinet observed that narcotic substances, ganja and other drugs were destroying the future of the youth and in turn posing a law and order problem. The State government has already constituted a Special Unit in the police department to contain drug-related crimes.

Accordingly, the Cabinet decided to fill up 3,966 posts in various categories in Hyderabad, Cyberabad, Rachakonda Commissionerates, Command Control Centre, Narcotics Control Bureau and Telangana Cyber Safety Bureau. The State Home Department was directed to initiate steps for the recruitment process.

Also, the Cabinet approved the establishment of new police stations, new circles and new divisions to further improve law and order and strengthen the police system in the limits of Hyderabad, Cyberabad and Rachakonda commissionerates.

Decentralisation of administrative power in R&B

The Cabinet decided to strengthen the public transportation system and reinforce various sections of the departments in tune with the development taking place in various other sectors including agriculture and the increasing scope of Roads and Building wing. The Cabinet has, in the past, approved many decisions taken by Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao in this regard.

In a key decision, the Cabinet approved the decentralization of powers in the Roads and Buildings department. It directed the department to take up required additional appointments and set up new offices. Additional funds have also been sanctioned for the purpose. As part of this, the Cabinet approved several proposals made by the Roads and Buildings Department. The Cabinet accorded powers to the officials to take decisions on their own during emergency and take up works in accordance with public needs.

The Cabinet decided to decentralise the Roads and Buildings Department in line with the increased work. For this purpose, the Cabinet sanctioned a total of 472 additional posts in various wings of the R&B department. Among them are the posts of three new Chief Engineers, 12 Superintendent Engineers, 13 Executive Engineers, 102 DEE posts, 163 Assistant EEs and 28 Divisional Accounts Officers besides many technical and non-technical posts.

The Cabinet also asked the department to complete the promotion process at the earliest.

In addition to the increased number of jobs, the Cabinet decided to establish offices and infrastructure across the state in accordance with the decentralisation of administrative responsibilities in the department. The Cabinet approved to set up three Chief Engineer offices, 10 Circle Offices, 13 Divisional Offices and 79 Sub-Divisional Offices in the Roads, Buildings, Electrical, National Highways wings of the R and B department.

The cabinet approved allocation of additional funds for this financial year to undertake works to strengthen the R and B department. Rs 165 crores have been sanctioned for the repairs of the roads (periodic renewals of roads). It also approved allocating Rs 635 crores to take up works immediately for improving the public transport facility wherever roads are cut off and washed away in the natural calamities such as rains and floods.

The Cabinet approved to give independent decision-making power from the lower level of DE to the higher level of CE to address the public inconvenience and carry out works on war-footing. DEE is given powers to take up works valued up to Rs 2 lakhs (Rs 25 lakhs per annum) , EE up to Rs 25 lakhs (Rs 1.5 crores per annum). SE – Rs 50 lakhs (Rs 2 crores per year) and CE will take up works costing Rs 1 crore (up to Rs 3 crore per annum) by taking decisions on their own. The officials are given authorities to sanction works on nomination basis in the emergency. For this, the cabinet approved sanctioning of Rs 129 crore .

The R and B department was also provided with a facility to take up repairs in the building wings for public needs during emergencies. The Cabinet approved the power to take up emergency works with limited funds. Accordingly, the release of funds was approved.

2,591 posts in BC welfare residential institutions approved

The cabinet approved the sanctioning of a total of 2,591 posts in various wings of the Mahatma JyotiBa Phule BC Welfare Residential Educational Institutions in the BC Welfare department. The Cabinet directed that these new appointments be made in teaching and non-teaching staff sections of the newly-started junior colleges (4), degree colleges (15) and residential Schools (33) in this academic year.