Patna, Jan. 8: The Bihar government is contemplating to depute a police officer in the vigilance cell of every important department to weed out corruption.
The police officer to be deputed in the vigilance cell would not be below the rank of senior deputy superintendent of police.
Generally, officials of the department concerned are posted with the vigilance cell to keep surveillance on the employees and check financial irregularities.
The government move comes in the wake of promotion of 24 senior deputy superintendents of police to the rank of additional superintendents of police. On December 31, the home (police) department issued an official notification regarding the promotion of 24 senior deputy superintendents of police.
A delegation of the office-bearers of Bihar Police Service Association (BPSA) led by its state president S.K. Jha met chief minister Nitish Kumar on December 31 last year and submitted a memorandum, demanding promotional avenues for the deputy superintendents of police similar to the officials of Bihar Administrative Service Commission (Basa).
The delegation had suggested the chief minister, who is also holding the home portfolio, to give six promotional avenues to BPSA officials as were being given to Basa officials. It also suggested Nitish to post police officer in the vigilance cell of each department to accommodate the newly promoted police officers.
The delegation was of the view that the vigilance investigation bureau was already overburdened with complaints of financial irregularities in government departments. Strengthening of the vigilance cell of other departments will not only reduce the burden on the officials of the vigilance investigation bureau but also improve the quality of investigation, the source said.
The source added BPSA had demanded the government to promote sub-divisional police officer (deputy superintendent of police) in six payscales — senior deputy superintendent of police, additional superintendent of police, staff officer, senior staff officer and chief staff officer.
Sources said the Basa officials are promoted in six payscales — sub-divisional officer to senior deputy collector, deputy secretary, joint secretary, additional secretary and special secretary. “We want equal promotion as given to premier state service officials,†said P.N. Mishra, a BPSA office-bearer.
Sources said the proposal to post senior police officer in the vigilance cell of all the departments was under the consideration of the government. “The proposal is at present pending with the finance department. Once the proposal gets the finance department’s approval, it will be sent to the government for completing the other formalities,†a senior officer said.