Bhubaneswar, May 11: The condition of Police Control Room (PCR) vans, which play a crucial role when it comes to quick response and rescue of accident victims, has worsened with the breakdown of several of these vehicles.
Since their inception in 2008, police in both Cuttack and Bhubaneswar have never bought their own PCR vans. Corporate houses have donated these vans to the police.
Police officials said the condition of these vans has started to deteriorate. "The vehicles have been running round the clock for the last nine years. Lack of timely maintenance has led to frequent breakdown of these vehicles. The seats of some of the vehicles have been damaged to such an extent that it is difficult to sit on them," said a police official.
Sources said that out of the 33 PCR vans plying in the state capital, on any given day around eight vehicles are out of service because of breakdown. "There is no specific fund allocation for the maintenance of these vehicles either from the government of from the corporate houses that had donated the vehicles. In this situation, most of the inspectors in charge of the PCR are forced to spend money from their own pockets to keep these vehicles running," said a police official.
The PCR vans are pressed into action through the police control room (dial-100). These vehicles are kept within the city for immediate response to any situation. The PCR vans are also equipped with GPS to keep tabs on their movement.
"The condition of some of these vehicles has worsened to such an extent that it is difficult to drive beyond a speed limit of 40km per hour. At this speed, it is difficult to chase criminals on motorcycles. The condition of the vehicles has become a major concern for us," said a police official.
Deputy commissioner of police Satyabrata Bhoi said a proposal has already been sent to the state government to provide 50 new PCR vans for Bhubaneswar only.
"For the time being, as many as eight new PCR vans will replace an equal number of older vehicles that are in very bad shape. The new fleet of vehicles will be added very shortly," said Bhoi.
