Lucknow: Participating in the discussion on the motion of thanks on the Governor’s Address, the Chief Minister also raised several serious questions before the Leader of the Opposition. He said, “Before 2017, goons and mafia were being nurtured under state patronage in Uttar Pradesh. The Leader of the Opposition himself mentioned some such names, while he hesitated to mention many others. Our government had spoken about a policy of ‘zero tolerance’ from the very first day and even today the government is functioning under its zero tolerance policy. Whoever commits a crime will be brought within the ambit of law.
CM added, before 2017, goons and mafia nurtured under state patronage were running a parallel government. They were promoting the culture of gunda tax, illegal extortion and One District One Mafia. Law had become the preserve of a few hands. Curfew and riots were a common occurrence. Festivals had become synonymous not with faith but with fear. The morale of the police was broken. Neither daughters were safe nor were traders secure. The image of the state had become synonymous with anarchy and instability and today Uttar Pradesh is a state of celebration, not unrest.
The Chief Minister said, record police recruitments, a new phase of women empowerment, modern policing and strong cyber and forensic infrastructure are today the identity of Uttar Pradesh. Whether it is cyber crime, prompt and emergency services, or zero tolerance towards crime and criminals, today rule of law can be seen in Uttar Pradesh. Robust law and order has transformed Uttar Pradesh from a fear zone to a faith zone. There is no atmosphere of fear now, there is faith in the hearts of people. A resident of Uttar Pradesh can travel to any district without fear.
He added, “The culture of curfew has been replaced by a culture of zero tolerance. In place of riots, festive and temple economy is growing. Who would have thought that crores of people would come to Ayodhya? In the 2013 Kumbh in Prayagraj, a total of 12 crore devotees arrived and this time 21 crore devotees have come during the Magh Mela itself. This is the change. The Magh Mela used to be associated with Kalpvasis, but the record created in this Magh Mela is a symbol of people’s faith. Now there is neither curfew nor riot here, in UP everything is fine.
The Chief Minister said, today women feel secure in Uttar Pradesh and traders have a fear free environment. In these eight years, more than 2,19,000 police personnel have been recruited. Out of this, 20 percent women have been mandatorily included. The training capacity of the police has been increased many times. Youth from every district have received opportunities in police recruitment without discrimination. Unprecedented development has taken place in police infrastructure facilities. Earlier police personnel used to live in dilapidated barracks.
CM also added, “Today if you visit districts, you will find high rise buildings serving as police infrastructure facilities. When it comes to modern policing, seven police commissionerates have been established, for which your government could never take a decision. We implemented the forensic science ecosystem in the state. Three new laws have come into force and a State Forensic Institute has been established in Lucknow. Degree, diploma and certificate courses have already commenced”.
The Chief Minister said, before 2017 there were only two cyber crime police stations, today there are cyber crime police stations in all 75 districts. In addition, every police station in the state has a cyber help desk. So far, this system has also contributed to recovering and preventing thousands of crores of rupees that were being extorted by cyber criminals. After the implementation of three new laws, forensic evidence has been made mandatory in every crime where the punishment is more than seven years. Earlier two or three labs were functional in Uttar Pradesh, today we have established 12 A grade labs and six are under construction. Two forensic vans have been provided in every district so that evidence can be collected and criminals can be punished. These are efforts made in a new direction.
Referring to the Safe City initiative, the Chief Minister added that whether it is Mumbai or Gujarat or Uttar Pradesh, only the BJP can provide security everywhere. In Uttar Pradesh, we have implemented the Safe City target in 17 municipal corporations including Gautam Buddh Nagar district. CCTV camera coverage at every district headquarters is being monitored through Integrated Command and Control Centres. The Uttar Pradesh Special Security Force has also been constituted in the state. Along with this, 34 companies of PAC have been reorganised and revived, because it is the nemesis of rioters. Any party that supports riots does not support PAC.
CM also added, “During the tenure of the Samajwadi Party, there was a conspiracy to virtually dismantle it. Now along with its reorganisation, three companies of Women PAC have been formed and three more companies are going to be formed. The three Women PAC companies that have been formed have been named after Veerangana Uda Devi in Lucknow, Veerangana Jhalkari Devi in Gorakhpur and Veerangana Avanti Bai Lodhi in Badaun. Three new battalions are going to be formed”.
