5 months more to get bulletproof jackets

The state police force will have to wait at least five months more for bulletproof jackets. The government is yet to find an agency that would supply jackets conforming to the specifications finalised by the home department.

Even after the hue and cry over the inferior quality of the bulletproof jackets — last purchased in 2003 — and the strictures passed by the Pradhan committee, the home department has failed to procure the stock that is required. After it floated a tender, some five agencies made their technical bids. But the samples submitted by them did  not match the specifications finalised by the purchase committee.

It was specified that a bulletproof jacket should weigh around  9kg. But the samples given by the bidders were either too light or too heavy.

“We have sent the samples to the testing lab. The reports are awaited. The weight of the jacket is crucial. If it is too heavy, it will restrain the movement of the cops using them,” a home department official said. “Another option for us is to participate in the bidding process of the central government to procure the stock. But for that, we need at least five  months more.”

The purchase of 250 units of  MP5 machine guns, from German ammunition giant Heckler and Koch, is also caught in the red tape. In spite of the repeated attempts by the state director general of police, the German government has not given its nod for export licence. “We have submitted the letter of credit of Rs3.96 crore against the price of the stock, and are waiting for the German government to give the final nod,” said the official.
A finance department source said that of the total allocation of Rs126 crore, Rs28 crore had lapsed. “The provision was made for the Force One. But the government failed to use it as the formation of the force got delayed,” he said.