AP Government sets focus on Greyhounds training centre in Vizag

Visakhapatnam: After the bifurcation of the state, Andhra Pradesh is deprived of a dedicated Greyhounds training centre in the state.

Currently, Visakhapatnam acts as an operational hub of the Greyhounds. After a long wait, the move to set up an exclusive Greyhounds training facility has gained momentum. With Visakhapatnam becoming the executive capital, the steps to establish a full-fledged Greyhounds training centre have been accelerated.

The state government has allotted 384-acre site at Jagannadhapuram village in Anandapuram mandal for the purpose. Keeping the future requirements in view, the government is pulling out all stops to develop a full-fledged Greyhounds training facility here.

In connection with this, the Central government has already released a portion of the funds to the state government. This apart, the state government too allotted Rs 500 crore for the training centre, which also includes paying compensation to the farmers at Anandapuram mandal.

In his recent trip to Visakhapatnam, Director General of Police D Gautam Sawang visited the site allotted for the endeavour. With the importance of curbing Maoist activities in the Agency and Andhra-Odisha Border gaining ground in the wake of Visakhapatnam becoming the executive capital, special attention is laid on setting up the anti-Maoist elite force training centre.

After examining the site, the DGP mentioned that efforts were on to complete the establishment of the Greyhounds training centre within two years. In the same Bheemunipatnam constituency, chances are high to set up the CM camp office or secretariat.

Hence the officials concerned intend to speed up the process of establishing the Greyhounds training centre in the constituency. In order to assess the safety and security aspects in Visakhapatnam, the DGP has formed a committee.

Along with other committee members from and Technical Services and Planning OSD wings, Commissioner of Police R K Meena heads the committee as a chairman. The committee members will study the existing infrastructure, staff required to meet the capital city requirements, among other facilities before submitting a detailed report to the DGP.

As a part of strengthening safety and security system, the main focus is also on developing a full-fledged Greyhounds training facility to counter Naxalism effectively. However, the DGP is also considering sites closer to the forest range so that effective training can be given to the Greyhounds.