Mr. Ranjit Singh Sharma, Police Commissioner, gives an insight into the plans he has for the city

Mr. Ranjit Singh Sharma has just taken over as the Commissioner of Police, Pune. An IPS officer of the 1973 batch of the Maharashtra Cadre, Mr. Sharma was the Commissioner of Police, Nagpur before he took up the present assignment.

Poonabest.com spoke to him and got an insight into the plans he had in store for the city.

Q. Please tell us something about your background?
A. I was pursuing a course in Engineering when I joined the Army in 1967 in the Corps of Electrical Engineers.
My father was an Advocate while my grand father was a Magistrate. I retired from the Army in 1972 and joined the Police Force in 1973.

Q. IAS being the preferred choice for most Civil Service entrants, how come you chose the Police force as a career?
A. Since I was in the Army, I thought the changeover from one uniform to the other would be easy. It goes without saying that both the services are vastly different from each other. But at that point in time, I reckoned the transition between the two careers would be smooth and hence plumped for a Police career.

Q. What do you intend to tackle on a priority basis in the city?
A. My first priority would be to remove all types of illicit trade like Bootlegging, Satta Matka and the likes from the city. I also wish to accord top priority to the traffic problem and improve the conditions in the city.

Q. Since you mentioned traffic, what steps do you intend taking to improve its condition?
A. We are in the process of appointing 2000 traffic volunteers who will work in conjunction with the police personnel from the traffic branch. For the above-mentioned scheme we have received a good response from the people of Pune. Already 170 volunteers have joined us for the post of Traffic wardens. Another major initiative will be the putting up of traffic booths at major traffic junctions. We are also hopeful that the citizens will help the Traffic Police in their endeavour to improve traffic conditions.

Q. The Municipal Corporation has imposed a ban on the plying of 6 seaters on certain city roads, however there is no sign of the ban being implemented. Your comments?
A. The resolution imposing a ban on 6-seaters on certain roads has been passed by the PMC. At the moment the only thing I wish to say is that we are looking at ways of implementing the ban.

Q. There were newspaper reports last month that wearing of helmets would be made compulsory for two-wheeler riders? Your comments?
A. We have sent a proposal to the State Government asking them to make this compulsory, as the population of two-–wheelers is rising. This proposal has been sent in conjunction with the police force from other cities where there is a high concentration of two-wheelers.

Q. With' Night Life' becoming increasingly popular, are the city cops contemplating a fixed time by which restaurants and pubs should down shutters?
A. The final instruction of the State Government is that all hotels must close by 1.30 am. The last order should be taken by 12.30 am. This rule does not apply to Coffee Shops of 5-star hotels, which have been permitted to operate round the clock. We have sent a proposal to the government recommending that coffee shops of 4-star hotels also should be allowed to be kept open for 24 hours.

Q. Your predecessor had remarked that he was worried about the youth taking to crime. Is that a major worry?
A. I don’t think that it is a major problem. There have been some cases where youth have been noticed as having a criminal bent of mind, but on the whole I can say that these cases are isolated.

Q. In the past few years, there has been increasing talk of work related fatigue in the Police force. What are the reasons for this weariness?
A.  The problems that a policeman faces are manifold. There is general stress generated from the service conditions and physical exhaustion due to long hours of duty. Besides, they face the risk of being exposed to physical violence by criminals, not to forget the exposure to noise and air pollution because of continuous presence on streets and roads, particularly true in the case of the traffic constables.

Q. Is it true that the organized crime gangs from Mumbai are spreading their tentacles in Pune, particularly in light of the murder of a builder recently on MG Road?
A. It is not true that the gangs from Mumbai are shifting their tentacles to Pune, but there have been certain cases where the hand of one of the gangs from Mumbai has been noticed. In the case of the builder, the Chhota Rajan gang was found to be involved.

Q. The image of the police in the minds of the common man has not been a very good one, any earnest attempt to change this perception?
A. We have taken a lot of measures in this direction and if these measures are fully implemented, the citizens of Pune will find themselves much closer to the Police. We have already implemented the idea of Police charchasatra, where officers ranging downwards from the rank of DCP will meet the members of the public in their jurisdiction and try and solve their problems.

Q. What do you like to do in your leisure hours?
A. In my free time I hit the roads and go for long walks in the city.

Rahul Surkund