DHANGADHI: Ward Police Station Dhangadhi, which is responsible for the security of 14 wards in the municipality, is acutely understaffed. Only 26 of the 35 slots in the police post have been fulfilled.

Sub-Inspector Sandeep Shah said they had found it hard to arrange duties due to the lack of personnel. ‘’The staff strength is not enough to guard the 14 wards round the clock,” he added. The police outpost is in a pitiable condition in terms of other resources as well. The post cannot properly house all the personnel — there is a single dormitory for all 23 personnel. “The dormitory has only eight single beds,’’ a constable lamented. “It’s increasingly harder during the hot summer. Two personnel sleep on each of the single beds.”

Assistant Sub-Inspectors and head constables are also compelled to share the room due to the lack of space. ‘’There should be a separate room for commanders but we are sharing the same room,’’ said an ASI. There is no space to hang clothes and keep other belongings of the staffers. There is a single van for patrolling the whole area. ‘’We have no alternative should the vehicle break down,’’ one official said.

Meanwhile, Kailali Police Chief SP Yogeshwor Romkhami admitted that there was a dearth of human resource in the ward police station. ‘’The scarcity was created due to the deployment of more personnel in the mid-eastern area,’’ he said. He added that efforts were on to add personnel to the existing strength in the scarcity-hit post. Regarding the lack of infrastructure and vehicle, he said a higher authority would be informed about the same.

SP Romkhami said a lot of their resource was being used in providing security to VIPs and in watching over rallies, which meant little attention to checking criminal activities.