Orissa Assembly. Telegraph picture

Bhubaneswar, March 12: Keeping in view the growing number of economic frauds, a standing committee of the Orissa Assembly has recommended that a special wing be set up in the police department to deal with such offences.

“There is an urgent need for strengthening the crime branch of the state police and the creation of a separate wing to deal with the growing incidence of economic offences like bank, chit fund and credit card frauds,” said Ramesh Chandra Chyaupatnaik, chairman of the standing committee related to the home department.

The committee, which placed its report in the Assembly, suggested that the proposed special wing should be put under the control of an additional director-general of Crime Investigation Department (CID).

The panel, which finalised the budgetary proposals for the home department, recommended that a sum of Rs 13.36 crore be provided in the budget for the above purpose.

Earlier, the state cabinet on February 11, had decided to bring in a legislation to regulate the activities of the non-banking financing institutions and micro credit system in order to protect the interest of investors.

The panel also suggested the creation of a special security battalion by regularising the services of 5,600 tribal youths, who have been appointed as special police officers in the Maoist-hit areas.

Another battalion should be set up to provide security cover to 16 jails located in Maoist-affected areas and eight other prisons in highly sensitive zones, it recommended.

The recommendation came in the wake of the 2006 jail break at R. Udaygiri. Armed Maoists had set all the prisoners lodged in R Udaygiri jail free and abducted the jailer, who was later released.

Several dreaded gangsters like Hyder and Raja Acharya are presently lodged in Bhubaneswar and Choudwar jails.

The standing committee has also recommended the creation of a special armourer cadre with 292 posts to protect police armouries.

It may be recalled that armed Maoists attacked the Koraput district armoury in February 2006 and the Nayagarh district armoury in February 2008 and looted a huge cache of arms and ammunition.

Police have acquired a large number of sophisticated arms and ammunition under the police modernisation scheme. This has necessitated the creation of a special armourer cadre for proper upkeep and maintenance of these arms and ammunition.

The Assembly panel has also recommended a budgetary provision of Rs 21.30 lakh for creation of a few more posts for better supervision of marine police stations along Orissa coast.

Five marine police stations have been set up at Arjipalli in Ganjam district, Paradip in Jagastsighpur district, Balramgadi in Balasore district, Jambu in Kendrapara district and Dhamra in Bhadrak district.