The ill-equipped Paradip marine police station. Telegraph picture

Paradip, April 13: Orissa’s first marine police station here continues to be badly manned and poorly equipped. Denied of weaponry backup, personnel are being forced to venture into sea unarmed.

The marine police personnel do not have the specified state-of-the-art combative and automated AK-47 and AK-56 weapons.

“Infrastructure deficiencies are coming in the way of efficient functioning of the marine police station. The station is operating in an unsafe building with skeletal staff. The marine police personnel are engaged in hazardous sea patrolling unarmed,” said Shantanu Kumar Das, nodal officer of coastal security in Jagatsinghpur district.

The officials and their subordinates have no weapons at their disposal to counter the sea-route infiltration and smuggling. As per the Centre-run coastal security plan, the sea patrol would have to be armed with modern arms such as, AK-47 and AK-56 weapons. However, they do not even have the outdated SLR 303 rifles. On sea patrol voyage, the marine police are forced to seek assistance of the Orissa state armed police constabulary.

The police station became operational on March 1 last year. Since then, the police station has been functioning in a rented building and achieved little in terms of sea-route interception and seizure. The officials, too, plead helplessness.

“We have two sea-worthy interceptor vessels. But there is a dearth of technical staff. The grants for fuel to operate the vessels are also meagre. As a result, we are unable to carry round-the-clock sea vigil. With the available grants, hardly two to three hours of sea patrolling is possible,” said an officer.

“The Paradip marine station has 21 personnel instead of the required 81. It is impractical to keep vigil with this skeletal staff,” said an officer.

“Against six sanctioned posts of the sub-inspector, there is one only. Only one assistant sub-inspector of police (ASI) mans the station, while it has a sanctioned strength of six. Similarly, against the sanctioned 64 posts of havildars and constables, 15 personnel are operating. Against six posts of the vessel sailors, three posts are falling vacant. Posts of three engine drivers are also unfilled up against the sanctioned six posts. To make matters worse, the low-ranked constables are mostly being shifted to other places during emergent law and order situation. To meet with the situation, we have deployed 10 ex-navy personnel to assist us on contractual payroll,” said Tezraj Patel, inspector, Paradip marine police station.