Bhubaneswar, 08 September (H.S.): Odisha Director General of Police (DGP) Binaytosh Mishra on Tuesday chaired a high-level review meeting at the State Police Headquarters, Cuttack to assess the law and order situation, crime control and policing across districts under the Central Range.

The meeting reviewed control of serious crimes, including murder, theft, dacoity and robbery, reduction of road accident fatalities, action against excise offences, measures towards a ‘Drug-Free Odisha’, cybercrime prevention, speedy investigation and timely filing of charge sheets, besides improving conviction rates.

With the festive season approaching, the DGP directed district SPs to make advance security arrangements for Ganesh Puja, Nuakhai, Vishwakarma Puja, Durga Puja, Gajalaxmi Puja, Diwali/Kali Puja, Amla Navami, Panchuka and Bali Yatra. He stressed adequate police deployment at sensitive locations, effective crowd management and smooth traffic regulation.

Mishra also called for regular peace committee meetings and close coordination with elected representatives, community leaders and local organisations. He directed police to maintain close surveillance in communally sensitive areas and take preventive measures in advance to avert any untoward incident.

Emphasising police-public coordination, the DGP instructed station-level officers to regularly visit their areas, interact with residents and elected representatives and address public grievances related to law and order. SDPOs were also asked to inspect police stations regularly and monitor their functioning, crime investigations, case progress and service delivery.

The DGP further directed SPs to keep a close watch on habitual and organised criminals and take firm action against them. He called for strengthened naka checking and patrolling to curb illegal cattle transportation, illegal mineral extraction and transportation, along with regular raids, vehicle checks and legal action against violators.

Mishra also stressed continuous monitoring of social media for rumours, provocative, objectionable and misleading content. He called for stronger intelligence gathering to identify potential threats and criminal activities early and ensure prompt preventive action.

He urged police personnel at all levels—from police stations to district and range headquarters—to maintain effective coordination, regular communication and teamwork while discharging their duties with commitment and accountability.

Senior police officers, including ADG (Modernisation) Soumendra Priyadarshi, ADG (Law and Order) Sanjay Kumar, ADG (Headquarters) Prateek Mohanty, ADG (HRPC) Yatindra Koel, IGP (Personnel) S. Praveen Kumar, IGP (STF) Himanshu Lal, IGP (Crime Branch) Dr Sarthak Sarangi and IGP (Central Range) Dr Satyajit Naik, along with other senior officials and district SPs under the Central Range, attended the meeting.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda