“Will recruit 27,556 personnel, ensure fair recruitment process”: West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday announced that the state government would recruit 27,556 personnel, as approved by the Cabinet, and assured that the recruitment process would be conducted fairly and transparently, with further appointments planned across departments, including the Forest Department.

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday announced that the state government would recruit 27,556 personnel, as approved by the Cabinet, and assured that the recruitment process would be conducted fairly and transparently, with further appointments planned across departments, including the Forest Department. Addressing an event for the distribution of appointment letters to newly recruited police personnel, CM Adhikari said the government would introduce fair recruitment rules and provide age relaxation in certain cases, considering that recruitment had not taken place over the past few years.

"A tug-of-war was going on between the two pillars of democracy. We have resolved that issue. We will recruit 27,556 personnel, as approved by the Cabinet. We will carry out more recruitments in the coming months. Recruitment will not be limited to the police; departments such as the Forest Department will also see new appointments," the Chief Minister said. Emphasising the need to ensure fairness in the recruitment process, Adhikari said the government would take steps to prevent recruitment-related disputes from reaching the courts.

"We will ensure that no one has to approach the court over recruitment-related issues. Even if someone does approach the court, they will not succeed because we will ensure that the recruitment process is conducted fairly," he said. "We will announce fair recruitment rules. We will also provide age relaxation in certain cases, as recruitment has not been carried out over the past few years," he added.

Comparing recruitment figures with those in other states and at the national level, the Chief Minister said, "In Uttar Pradesh, 90,000 constables were recruited. Under the leadership of the Prime Minister, 10 lakh people were recruited." Highlighting the challenges faced by the West Bengal Police, Adhikari pointed to the state's large population, geographical diversity and nearly 2,200-km-long border with Bangladesh.

"In West Bengal, the police face many challenges. On the one hand, there is a huge population, and on the other, there are geographical differences. The Bangladesh border stretches for almost 2,200 km. The state has important cities like Kolkata and Siliguri, around 3,500 Gram Panchayats, and many more areas to cover. Bengali is the main language, but there are several regional languages as well. The police play an important role in strengthening democracy," he said. He also stressed the need for police reforms and financial security for personnel, saying that the state had lagged behind in modernising its policing system and that police personnel had not received the benefits of the Seventh Pay Commission.

"We are far behind in terms of our police system. Police reforms have not been carried out regularly. Not only that, the police personnel did not have financial security. They did not have the benefits of the Seventh Pay Commission. We decided to provide them with financial security and reform the police system," Adhikari said. On strengthening police training, he said the state government had already signed an MoU with a national university and a police training institute in Assam. Another MoU would be signed on November 13, he added.

Referring to the appointment letter distribution programme, Adhikari described it as a small but significant event ahead of Diwali. He said appointment letters had earlier been distributed ahead of Durga Puja, while newly recruited Cooperative Officers had received their appointment letters two days ago. "Today, we are organising a small yet significant event ahead of Diwali. Earlier, we distributed appointment letters ahead of Durga Puja. Just two days ago, we handed over appointment letters to newly recruited Cooperative Officers. Today, we are handing over appointment letters to Sub-Inspectors. I wish them all the very best," he said.

The Chief Minister further said that the recruitment process had been stalled due to complications related to the OBC issue. He said the government amended the OBC rules and withdrew from the case before the Supreme Court, enabling it to complete the recruitment process. "Recruitment had been stalled due to complications related to the OBC issue. We amended the OBC rules and withdrew from the case before the Supreme Court. As a result, we were able to complete the recruitment process," he said.

He asserted that immediate and appropriate action would be taken without a second thought against anyone who commits an offence against a woman. "You have been given a free hand to make West Bengal drug-free. Take all necessary action to achieve this goal. If anyone commits an offence against a woman, take immediate and appropriate action without a second thought. The Home Minister will stand by you and provide you with protection," he added.

He called for strengthening the 112 emergency response service by providing additional vehicles and directed the Kolkata Police to assess its requirements, setting a target of achieving a six-minute response time similar to Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat. The Chief Minister said that the state should aim to match the response time achieved by Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat and assured that all necessary facilities would be provided to improve emergency services.

Referring to the incidents during Durga Puja celebrations, the Chief Minister said that around 79,000 idols were immersed and observed that better coordination could have prevented the Chorbagan incident. CM Adhikari said that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) had been constituted to investigate the matter and stressed the need for proper coordination among officials. The Chief Minister also acknowledged the efforts made by several senior officials in ensuring the successful organisation of Durga Puja.

Announcing a meeting with IFS and IPS officers on November 13, he said that officers could also consider forming an IPS Association if they felt it was necessary. Emphasising security arrangements for upcoming festivals, the Chief Minister urged officials to take the arrangements seriously and ensure that all celebrations were conducted safely and carefully. (ANI)