KARACHI, June 17: The Sindh government has allocated Rs48bn for law and order in its budget for 2013-14.

“The law and order budget for the next financial year stands at Rs48.63 billion, making it the second largest sector after education,” declared Syed Qaim Ali Shah while delivering his budget speech as the in-charge finance minister in the Sindh Assembly on Monday.

He said “unity and firm action” against criminals, overcoming the manpower shortage in the law-enforcement agencies, equipping them with modern technology and curbing proliferation of illegal arms with perceived innovative ways would help maintain law and order in the province.

“We are being challenged by miscreants and terrorists, who are trying to destroy the peace of our province, but I assure you that they will never be successful as we stand united and firm against them,” said Mr Shah. He said the government’s resolve not to give way to terrorists was “unwavering”.

The CM said around 20,000 policemen would be recruited and given “high quality rigorous training” to turn them into a “strong and professional work force”.

He announced that Rs400 million would be spent to buy and install surveillance cameras in Karachi in the next financial year.

He said that to control the proliferation of illegal weapons, the government had introduced ‘Computerised arms licensing system’ for which Rs16.50 million had been allocated. “With this, we will be able to keep an effective check on sale and purchase of arms,” he added.

The CM said that in the outgoing financial year the government had spent Rs1.242 billion on procuring APCs and Rs2.79 billion on providing GSM locators to the police.

The provincial chief executive praised the policemen and Rangers killed in the line of duty and added that the government had given Rs400 million compensation to their heirs.

The provincial government planned to set up three women police hostels — in Karachi, Hyderabad and Sukkur — with over Rs159 million of which Rs30 million would be given in the next financial year, according to the Annual Development Programme (ADP) 2013-14.

Similarly, there was a plan to build apartment buildings for grade 19 and 20 officers of the Sindh police in Karachi with an estimated cost of over Rs331m out of which Rs30m had been allocated this year.

Among other new schemes for 2013-14, there was a plan to build houses for constables and head constables for which over Rs90 million has been allocated in the ADP 2013-14.

The police’s other development projects include construction of police stations/headquarters in different districts of Sindh, construction of seven police posts on highways, construction of a special branch complex in Karachi.

Jammers in prisons The government has allocated over Rs88m for installing mobile jammers in various prisons of Sindh to enhance security there. It has also allocated Rs195 million for installing a CCTV system at the Central Jail Karachi, Juvenile Jail Karachi, Women Jail Karachi, District Sukkur and Khairpur.