The state government’s Police Home Project to build a house for each of the state’s 1. 10 lakh police personnel will continue till 2030, Home Minister G Parameshwara said in Mangaluru on Tuesday. Shri Parameshwara was speaking at a program organized to inaugurate 12 newly constructed residential flats for police personnel of Moodbidri.

He also laid the foundation stone of 18 flats in Mangaluru and 12 flats each in Mulki and Uppinangadi respectively. The Police House Project was started in 2015, with the aim of providing a decent housing for police personnel.

The per unit construction cost, which was ₹18 lakh when the project started, has now reached ₹33 lakh. So far the government has covered only 40% of the beneficiaries.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has agreed to build houses for the remaining 60%, Mr Parameshwara said. The government acted on the recommendations of the Auradkar Committee and increased the salaries of police personnel to bring them at par with the salaries of other government employees.

The long pending demand of issuing navy blue peak caps to the personnel was accepted and implemented. Strict action Complimenting the Mangaluru city and Dakshina Kannada district police units for effectively dealing with drug smugglers and consumers, the minister said, “It is difficult to make an area free from drugs.

The police have been directed to deal strictly with drug smugglers and consumers. ” Mr.

Parameshwara said that despite measures to restrict the coverage of mobile jammers installed in Mangaluru District Jail, people in the vicinity are still facing problems from the jammers. He has visited the site near Konaje where the new prison was being constructed.

The Home Minister is hopeful of getting another ₹50 crore in the upcoming state budget, which will help in building the compound wall for the new jail. He said that he has sought a grant to replace the old boats of the Coastal Security Police. New buildings will be sanctioned for Mangaluru City Police stations currently located in old buildings and rented premises.

Mangaluru City South MLA D. Vedavyas Kamant urged the state government to take measures to increase the number of surveillance cameras in Mangaluru city.