Patna, July 8: As many as 15 state-of-the-art-generators, meant for use in Naxalite-affected areas in the districts, are gathering dust at Bihar Military Police (BMP) headquarters for almost a month now.

The machines — out of 160 such generators bought by the state police seven months ago for Rs 2 lakh to Rs 2.5 lakh each — were meant to be collected by district officials. While none of them have come yet to collect the machines, the BMP authorities have left the expensive gensets out in the where they are fully exposed to the inclement weather.

Director-general of police (DGP) Neel Mani said: “Police stations in the Naxalite-affected areas are very sensitive and there is a need for proper electricity backup there. These generators are modern and silent, which ensures that the police can concentrate on the work at hand and are not distracted due to any sound during emergencies.”

However, nobody is happy with the present storage situation.

“Proper arrangements could have been made for storing the generators. It doesn’t make sense to keep such expensive machines out in the open for so long like this. There have been some serious spells of rain. In such a situation, how can one expect these machines to run properly now,” a police officer told The Telegraph.

BMP officers are also sceptical about the functioning of the generators after facing brunt of the heat and rain. Some are not even sure when the machines came for storage.

“We cannot remember the time the machines came here but there had been more. The transportation pace of the generators has been very slow. We are not technicians but we are sure if these machines are kept outside in harsh weather, they can easily go out of order. Official in the districts should take away their generators without further delay,” said a BMP jawan.

Mani, however, said the process of distribution of the generators to the districts, to be installed at police stations in the sensitive Naxalite-hit areas, was on. Several machines have been collected by officials of the districts concerned, the DGP said.

“Total 160 generators were to be distributed to police stations in Naxalite-hit areas in the different districts. 15KV and 20KV generators have been bought from Eicher while the 10KV ones have been supplied by Kirloskar. District officials are collecting the generators they have been allotted on a regular basis. The rest will be collected soon,” said Mani.

Around 40 generators meant for the police lines and 15 for BMP units across the state have also been distributed, said sources.

Meanwhile, officers in rebel-hit areas are reeling under severe power crisis. An officer said: “It is a problem if even after seven months the machines are not moved. Police stations in Naxalite-affected areas are always in a sensitive situation. When officers in Patna have to depend on lanterns and candles during power cuts, one can understand the condition in the Naxalite-affected areas.”