Kolkata most livable city in India: Surajit Kar Purkayastha

Though Kolkata’s police-population ratio is less compared to other metros, it is still the most livable city in India, former city Police Commissioner Surajit Kar Purkayastha said on Monday.

Quoting a 2014 survey done in over 50 cities in the country, Purkayastha, who is currently the DG and IGP of CID West Bengal, said “the Bureau of Police Research and Development recommends there must be one policeman for 568 people, which means 176 police for one lakh population.

“The United Nation suggests there must be minimum of 222 policemen for one lakh population... while Delhi has 441 policemen for one lakh people, we (Kolkata) have 186 for the same population... still Kolkata is adjudged as the safest city in the country.” 

“It’s the culture of the city, how the people of the city interacts with the police... so it’s the combined effort of the people and the police that has made Kolkata the most livable city in the country,” he said. Purkayastha was speaking at an interactive session on “Building safe and secure city and society the role of government and the public” organised by the Calcutta Chamber of Commerce here on Monday.

The city’s former top cop stressed that “community policing” should be a part of the modern day police system.

“It is internationally accepted that community policing is very much required in on Monday’s time. If you do not have community policing in your agenda, your force is incomplete,” he said mentioning some of Kolkata Police’s programmes such as “Probaha” (blood donation camp by the policemen), Nabadisha (education project for street and working children by the Kolkata Police). He also emphasised that with changing time, the Force should also be “modernised.”  “In tune with what is happening globally, the police force has to be modernised. One cannot work in isolation. We have to modernise it,” Purkayastha said.