Chief secy halts promotion of 8 ADGPS

CHANDIGARH: Chief secretary KAP Sinha has put on hold the process of the promotion of eight additional director generals of police (ADGPs) to the rank of director generals of police (DGPs), raising questions over the top heavy police force.

- Vishal Rambani

Punjab already has 15 DGPs, and if these officers are promoted, the strength will go up to 23.

Confirming the development, home secretary Gurkirat Kirpal Singh said the file, with objections raised by the chief secretary, has been received by his office.

"The file has been referred to the personnel department to provide answers to the objections raised by the chief secretary," the home secretary said.

As per senior officers, privy to the development, Sinha has asked the state home department to clarify how many posts of DGPs can exist in Punjab and has also raised an issue of two contradictory rules submitted by the home department with regard to the promotion of the officers.

The home department initiated the process of promoting eight ADGPs of the 1994 batch to the rank of DGP in November last month. According to a home department file, IPS officers have a vertical tenure-based promotion system in accordance with IPS cadre rules.