4 months on, post of additional CP lies vacant

With no officer in place, deputy commissioner of police (crime) Dilip Sawant has been holding additional charge

Although it has been almost four months since the additional commissioner of police of Navi Mumbai, VR Chauhan, was promoted and transferred to Pune as the inspector general of police (IGP), the state is yet to fill up the post.

Chauhan, who had replaced Fateh Singh Patil in May last year, was transferred to Pune as the IGP of wireless in the second week of January. With no officer in place, deputy commissioner of police (crime) Dilip Sawant has been holding the additional charge.

The additional commissioner of police in Navi Mumbai oversees the traffic, crime, administration and other important branches of the department. According to sources, in the absence of an officer of the rank, the department is losing its grip over the city.

“The deputy commissioner of police of crime branch is a crucial post. The officer is responsible for preventing and detecting crime, increasing conviction rate and maintaining law and order in the entire city,” a senior police officer said.

The scenario with regards to prevention and detection of crime has not been impressive this year. As many as 176 vehicles were stolen from different parts of Navi Mumbai between January and March. The police recovered only 44 vehicles, a mere 25% of the stolen vehicles.

Of the 49 cases of robbery registered in the first three months, only 26 cases were solved. Only 44 out of 125 burglary cases have been detected. The police have registered 305 cases of theft, but they have been able to solve only 102 cases so far.

“This is just one aspect of the poor performance of the police in the past few months. You may find more problems in other branches such as the headquarters, anti-human trafficking cell, anti-extortion cell, special branch, among others,” another officer said.

“Safety and security of people in the coastal areas, preventing terror-related activities by keeping suspected people under surveillance, preventing the entry of illegal arms traders are some of the areas that need special attention in Navi Mumbai. Appointing an experienced officer to handle these responsibilities is a must,” he said.

Prabhat Ranjan, police commissioner of Navi Mumbai, said, “I don’t have any idea when the government is planning to appoint an officer for the post. I am also not aware if they have already selected someone for it.”

TUKARAM MUNDE IS NEW MUNICIPAL COMMISSIONER Municipal commissioner Dinesh Waghmare has been transferred as municipal commissioner of Pune, while Solapur district collector Tukaram Munde has been transferred as the Navi Mumbai municipal commissioner.

Munde, an IAS officer of 2005 batch, is considered an upright officer and has been felicitated by the chief minister thrice for his excellent performance. His work as a collector has earned him praise.

While his actions have rubbed some political interests the wrong way, they have been much appreciated in Solapur by public, say sources. He is known to be tough on inefficient officials.