Bhubaneswar, Sept. 7: The state government's ambitious plan to set up three tourist police cells in the city is yet to see the light of the day even a year after the announcement was made.

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik had announced setting up of tourist police cells in eight police stations across the state in May last year. So far, four tourist police stations have started functioning in Puri. Those in Bhubaneswar are supposed to come up near Lingaraj Temple and at Dhauli and Nandankanan.

The proposal included special training for personnel and separate uniform for the tourist police to distinguish them from the regular cops. Each cell is supposed to have a sub-inspector, an assistant sub-inspector, a havildar and six constables. Some 72 new police posts in the above categories were to be created and Rs 2 crore was sanctioned for annual expenditure of each cell.

The tourist-friendly officials are supposed to wear khaki uniform and use mobile phones and other hi-tech gadgets meant for fast connectivity. Those with an educational background in history and anthropology are being given preference during recruitment.

Samarendra Samal, 45, a tour operator based at Saheed Nagar, said that tourists, especially those from European countries, are wary of security issues here. "A tourist-friendly police force will be immensely helpful in instilling a sense of security and confidence among the tourists," he said.

State tourism director Nitin Bhanudas Jawale said that recruitment had already begun for the ambitious proposal to set up the tourist police cells.

"The process is a time consuming one. Although setting up of tourist police cells in the city has been delayed, we are fast-tracking the process to activate the cells in the next two months," he said.

Bhubaneswar deputy commissioner of polie Satyabrata Bhoi said eligible candidates for the posts had already been identified.

"We had a meeting with the tourism department officials on August 9 where the details of the proposal and its effective implementation was discussed in detail," he said, adding that setting up of tourist police cells would help ease the burden on regular policemen posted in the three identified police stations in the city.

Surendra Mohan Dosani, 37, an Adelaide-based tour operator, said: "Safety is the primary concern for tourists planning to visit Odisha. Although many tourists from Australia are keen on religious history, safety remains a major concern for them whenever they plan to come to Odisha."

He also added that the perception of the regular police among Australian tourists was not positive. "Setting up of dedicated tourist-friendly police cells would be helpful for us in promoting Odisha as not only an attractive tourist destination, but also a safe one," Dosani said.

Culture and tourism minister Ashok Chandra Panda said the move to set up tourist police cells was aimed at changing the perception of tourists about the police. He said that some 71,426 foreigners visited Odisha last year, while some 7.4 million came to India.