Police website faces log out

BHUBANESWAR: While the state government is busy promoting e-governance, the official website of Bhubaneswar-Cuttackcommissionerate of police (http://bhubaneswarcuttackpolice.gov.in) is likely to be shut down shortly. Commissioner of police (CP) Sunil Roy has written to DGPPrakashMishra, expressing difficulty to update the portal due to shortage of skilled manpower, official sources said.
"The lone officer, who was looking after the website, was recently transferred. We need dedicated staff to regularly update the website and upload information," a senior police officer said. " In his letter to the DGP, the CP has mentioned that people are criticizing the commissionerate of police for not being able to update the website. The DGP has been requested to fill up the vacancy," the officer told TOI.
Despite repeated attempts, Roy could not be contacted.
The website, which was launched in 2010, was last updated on January 10, 2013. Information in almost all the segments, including IIC of some police stations, their contact numbers, wanted list and tenders, is not updated. Crime statistics and traffic factsheets of the twin cities have not been updated since January. Number of cases registered in each police station also has not been changed on the website of the city police, which went hi-tech by launching GPS-enabled ultra modern police control room in March, 2011.
Ironically, the CP's message on the website reads: "In our sustained effort to establish better police-public interface, launching of the website is an important landmark. The website is designed to disseminate information, collect feedback with a view to provide better service. It would be an ideal platform for interaction, information sharing and better connectivity with general public." Citizens, citing examples of user-friendly websites of police in metro cities, demanded that the Odisha government should make the website more interactive and informative. "Police in other cities are encouraging police-public interface through social networking sites like Facebook to maintain law and order and regulate traffic," said lawyer Bibhu Prasad Tripathy.