Ishtiyaq Ahmed
Srinagar, May 13 (KINS): The emergency situation triggered by the novel Caronavirus that has claimed over two lakh lives across the globe and affected over two million so far has cast a shadow on the Jammu and Kashmir police’s “mission hi-tech” as the virus has choked supply chains of modern gadgets for the police force.
In January and February this year, J&K police had floated a series of tenders to procure hi-tech equipment, some of them used by world’s best forces, including Truck Vessel, a special vehicle used to detect and destroy bombs including grenades and IEDs inside its “special chamber.” Not just this, the police had also floated tenders to procure first ever helicopter on a two-year lease and also Liquid Explosive Devices (LED) to detect and destroy IEDs and other explosive material.
The Police had also floated tenders to procure riot control gadgets besides 50 Unarmed Vehicles (UAVs) besides new fleet of bullet proof vehicles. However, Covid chocked the process of procurement with police officials stating that tendering process has to be started afresh and entire process has to be re-started.
A senior police official privy to the tendering process of the force told news agency KINS that even though some consignments of UAVs and new vehicles were received but rest of the consignments got stuck since March 18, when the first case of Covid was reported from Khanyar area of Srinagar.
“Entire process got stuck because of the Covid even though some procurement of UAVs and bullet proof vehicles besides emergency support vehicles was received,” he said. In Srinagar, district, alone 25 drones/UAVs have been pressed into service by the police force to enforce strict lockdown. Earlier, police in Srinagar district had just a dozen UAVs.
The official told KINS that many tenders have to be floated afresh to seek response from the authorized manufacturers again and then tenders will be opened for agreements with the concerned companies. “This is again a lengthy process. We have to start from zero again,” he said, adding that Covid has choked the entire prospectus of police force as far as procurement of latest gadgets is concerned.
Pertinently, 15000 policemen are performing duties to implement lockdown in Jammu and Kashmir. Police is on the forefront of fighting pandemic, however, prolonged lockdown of two months has shelved its plans of getting hi-tech gadgets for which tendering process was already done by the police headquarters.
“Since Covid has triggered a global crisis. We will have to reach out to the companies afresh with fresh tenders etc and that’s only possible when things return to normal,” a source in the Police headquarters also said.(KINS)
