Patna, Sept. 13: People availing services of private security agencies in the state can now be rest assured of their trustworthiness. For, the state government has set stringent norms under Bihar Private Security Agency Regulations Rules, 2011, for regulating their functioning.

The rules framed to implement the Private Security Agency (Regulation) Act, 2005, enacted by the Centre, today got cabinet approval.

“A senior officer in home department would be designated as the licensing authority for registration of private security agencies. Licence to such agencies would be issued only after due verification of the promoter of the agency and other parameters for running such an agency,” home secretary Amir Subhani told reporters in a joint post-cabinet news briefing in which cabinet co-ordination department principal secretary Ravi Kant was also present.

Licence to such agencies would be issued for three years and it can be renewed for the same period if the agency meets the norms mentioned in the rule.

Subhani said police verification of security guards had been made compulsory.

According to the rules, those willing to run security agencies would have to set up training centres in Bihar itself and only trained personnel can be deputed as security guards. The rule has also set a minimum physical requirement for choosing personnel who can be recruited as security guards. As far as inspection of the training facilities is concerned, the home department would verify it from time to time by sending its officials to the training centres being run by the agencies.

The agencies would also have to provide identity cards and dress to the guards. As things stand now, there is no system in place using which government can keep a tab on the private security agencies. The state government does not even have a record of the number of such agencies functioning in the state.

“We will have these numbers once the registration process starts,” Subhani said.

The cabinet also approved a proposal pertaining to release of Rs 8 crore for construction of model police stations and residential facilities for security personnel.

Another major decision taken in today’s cabinet meeting was related to construction of an eight-storeyed building at the place of the existing Shram Shakti Bhavan on Bailey Road. Rs 93 crore would be spent on constructing this building. Total 24 decisions, including doing away with the old system of having different designations of Grade IV employees, who would now be known as office attendants, were taken in the cabinet meeting. It also decided to absorb eligible employees of the dissolved Bihar Intermediate Education Council in the Bihar School Examination Board.