Court-jail video conference link soon

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, DEC. 8. The State Government will shortly bring out an ordinance to facilitate linking of courts and jails through video conference facility so that undertrials could be `produced' before courts through video conferencing, a method which would totally eliminate the system of providing escorts to undertrials, the Home Minister, Mr. T. Devendar Goud, said here on Friday. Addressing the second phase of Retreat-2000, the brain-storming session of about 100 senior officers at the AP Police Academy, he explained that the video presentation of undertrials would save a lot of time in transporting prisoners to courts and also solve the problem of providing escort personnel. About 1,000 constables are being used as escorts now.

The facility would most probably be available from the New Year, the Minister announced. This was greeted with claps by the officers. Mr. Goud stated that this concept had received praise from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). He also announced that another ordinance to control organised crime, such as extortion and formation of criminal gangs, was likely to be issued within ten days. This envisages setting up of special courts which could hand out severe punishment to the offenders besides forfeiture of their property.

The Minister listed the initiatives being taken by the Government to improve the police set-up in the State such as introduction of a uniform AP Police Act 2000, AP Police Manual, giving merit- based promotions to officers and setting up of a road safety authority.

He faulted the police for not devoting sufficient attention to road safety on which the Government was spending about Rs. 4,000 crores a year. An additional sum of Rs. 2,000 crores would be spent on rural roads in 2001-2002. Yet, the number of persons getting killed in road accidents was increasing, the Minister said, while expressing alarm at the toll of 8,900 last year. Hence, the Government wanted to accord priority to highway safety.

The road safety authority envisaged establishment of highway police stations, trauma care units, removal of encroachments on the highways, regulation of traffic, besides traffic engineering. About 60 highway police stations were proposed to be set up utilising the funds to be provided by the Central Government. The Minister disclosed that traffic fines amounting to Rs. 8 crores would be utilised by the highway police stations for turning out better work. This arrangement was likely to be in place from the new year.

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Section  : Southern States
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