The police are waiting for a nod from the state government, after which budgetary allocation can be used to purchase the chopper, police sources said. Already a proposal for a chopper for the anti-naxal operations is under process.
If things go as planned, the elite commando force of the state police formed after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, Force One, might get their first helicopter next year.
The police are waiting for a nod from the state government, after which budgetary allocation can be used to purchase the chopper, police sources said. Already a proposal for a chopper for the anti-naxal operations is under process.
According to the police sources, a proposal was recently submitted by the Force One with regard to purchase of few more special combat weapons and a chopper of their own.
Additional director general of police, planning and coordination, Pankaj Gupta, confirmed that the proposal has been sent by the Force One, but refused to divulge details. “Force One has asked for a chopper and a proposal in this regard has been given to the state government. Their approval is pending,” Gupta said.
“Since Force One is not Mumbai specific, but is a statewide agency, so they had asked for the chopper that would help them move their men and machines as soon as possible in case of a terrorist attack,” said a senior Indian Police Service (IPS) official.
The official added that, this is the first time that Force One had asked for a chopper. “We have a specific budgetary allocation for Force One and anti-naxal operations. If the government accepts the proposal, then by next year, we hope that the chopper would be made available to Force One. We are also examining the possibility of using it for naxal operations. The request for a chopper by anti-naxal police is still pending, although we have funds of Rs6 crore for the chopper,” the official said.
Another factor which the police are examining is who would look after and maintain the chopper.
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