Unease in Delhi Police: ‘If we have to manage law & order at these places, we must have a say'

Indian Express

6 days ago

The decision to withdraw powers from the Licensing unit of Delhi Police for obtaining permission or No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) for hotels, eateries, discotheques, amusement parks, swimming pools, and auditoriums has created unease within the police brass.
The Indian Express spoke to police officers, serving and retired, who said that since they are the first line of defence in tragedies, divorcing them from the process may not be the 'best move'.
Former Delhi Police commissioner, S N Srivastava, said, 'While it is the government's prerogative to allocate responsibility to its departments, I do not subscribe to the view that the issue of licence for such places of gathering does not have law and order implications. If police have to manage law and order arising out of gathering at these places, it requires a say in such matters.'
'At present, most processes of issue of licence have been made online. Multiple agencies can offer their input on the issue of license in a time-bound manner. There is always scope for improvement. Transferring work from one to another is not always a solution,' Srivastava added.
A senior police officer currently in the force said, 'There are several incidents that occur at such places – people get stuck in lifts or drown in swimming pools, incidents are even reported at amusement parks – which are investigated by us. Then why the power to assign these licences have been taken away from us?'
Another officer said that even if the process had to be streamlined, inputs and suggestions on how to ensure compliance and safety should have been incorporated into the new process.
'If there is an issue regarding law and order at an amusement park, it very much falls in the domain of the Delhi Police, but if the police officers are kept out, what is the point?' another senior officer said.
Sakshi Chand is working as an Assistant Editor with the Indian Express. She has over a decade of experience in covering crime, prisons, traffic and human interest stories. She has also covered the communal clashes in Kasganj, Aligarh, Trilokpuri riots as well as the North-East Delhi riots. Apart from being a journalist, she is also a National level basketball player and a coach. Before joining the Indian Express, she was working for The Times of India. ... Read More