State Government has decided to source 300 personnel from Maharashtra State Security Corporation (MSSC) to tide over shortage of personnel to man the newly-sanctioned Government Railway Police stations in Mumbai and Konkan Railway. The Home Department has sanctioned setting up of 4 new stations at LTT, Asangaon, Ambernath and Bhayander in suburban Mumbai and for them, 50 personnel are needed to make them functional. At the same time, Ratnagiri GRP station is also sanctioned and as it has a big area under it, 100 personnel are going to be sourced from MSSC till the regular hands join the force.

 

To strengthen the security measures over Railway premises and amidst growing industrialisation in Konkan area, Home Department decided to open the new stations. The 4 new stations on suburban Mumbai have been carved out of 22 police stations, by redrawing the boundaries and making them more compact. Right now, GRP is in talks with Railway administration to finalise the spaces and it has agreed to open these police stations at the earliest. Given the importance of Mumbai city, the need to equip GRP with more personnel is agreed upon and recruitment process for 2025-26 is under way. However the Planning Department of office of DGP, Maharashtra, has stated that the entire process to initiate new hands will take atleast a year to materialise. Hence for the time being, it is decided to draft those registered with MSSC to stand in for the cops.

 

Each of these stations is going to get 50 personnel from MSSC. State has sanctioned 279 posts for these 4 GRP stations but their induction and then acclimatisation will take time. Till then, to ensure that GRP stations are manned and meet the shortfall, a temporary measure is decided. Mostly, retired personnel from armed force register with MSSC as they retire after short service commission. Now that the short service commission has ended and Agniveer has been conceived, MSSC has numerous registrations and same indent is then shared with different Government agencies for deployment for various security measures.