Kolkata, Vikas Kumar Gupta: The accused arrested in criminal cases in various police stations under Kolkata Police will now be given healthy food in the lockup. Kolkata Police The daily food allowance given to such accused by Headquarters Lalbazar has been increased from Rs 47 to Rs 73.50. Lalbazar sources say that Rs 47 per day was paid to the agency which was providing food four times a day to the people arrested in criminal cases in different police stations of the metropolis and coming to the lockup for almost a decade. With this amount, the accused were provided breakfast and dinner twice a day. Due to increasing inflation, the quality of food started decreasing. To overcome this problem, the Research and Analysis (R&D) team of Kolkata Police was asked to analyze the amount received daily by the agency providing food to the accused.
After taking information from many departments, the decision to increase the amount was taken
The R&D team conducted a comparative study of the food allowance given by the police of other cities. It was found that the accused living in the lockup of the metropolis are provided less amount than the patients living in the government hospital of the city. After this the team decided to increase the current food allowance rate of Kolkata Police by Rs 26.50. A proposal to increase the food allowance from Rs 47 to Rs 73.50 was sent to the State Secretariat. This proposal has been approved. Kolkata Police has now decided to arrange high quality food for the accused from hotels near the local police station rather than through tender.
Instead of centralized system, now the hotel near the police station will get the responsibility of supplying food.
Lalbazar sources say that earlier, under the centralized system, one organization which got the tender in each police station, used to provide food in all the police stations. It was observed that when food was delivered to distant police stations, its quality deteriorated. For this reason its responsibility was handed over to the departmental DC. He will allocate the increased amount to the police stations of his department. After this, food will be provided to the accused staying in the lockups of all the police stations under the jurisdiction of Kolkata Police from the local hotels there. The in-charge of the local police station will select the hotel. After this, breakfast and lunch will be given twice every day.
What do police officers say?
Joint Commissioner (Organization) of Kolkata Police, Syed Waqar Raza said that all citizens have the right to get high quality food. For the sake of humanity, its main objective is to provide high quality food to the accused living in the lockup of the police station. This system has been started in some police stations of the metropolis. It will be started soon in the remaining police stations also.