BHUBANESWAR: The state police headquarters has proposed to the government to increase the strength of the Odisha Industrial Security Force (OISF) in view of the growing demand for security in several industrial undertakings and establishments.The OISF, which was raised in January 2014 on the lines of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), now has only one battalion, comprising 1,390 personnel. The personnel were recruited in April 2016 and deployed at different public and private-sector undertakings across the state.“We have requested the government to raise two more OISF battalions. We need at least 2,300 more personnel. We have been receiving proposals from different state and Centre-run industrial establishments and private organisations seeking deployment of the OISF. It plays a vital role in promoting a peaceful industrial atmosphere in the state,” DGP R P Sharma said.The OISF personnel have been positioned at Odisha Mining Corporation , the Hirakud dam in Sambalpur , Odisha Sands Complex (a unit of Indian Rare Earths Limited), IIT Bhubaneswar, NTPC-Sundargarh, Reserve Bank of India and some private industrial establishments. Though the personnel are recruited by the state government, they get salary from the agencies that hire them.Sources said the Odisha Industrial Security Force Act 2012 empowered the personnel to arrest and conduct search operations without a warrant. The OISF personnel have been given special power to arrest troublemakers while performing duties at industrial establishments. “After arrest, they can take the accused to nearby police stations to conduct legal formalities,” another police officer said.The police headquarters have also moved the government to accord sanction to make the Odisha Swift Action Force (OSAF) into a full-fledged battalion. Former DGP Kunwar Brajesh Singh had created OSAF in June 2017; it is a specialised wing of state police that deals with urban terrorism and crises stemming from serious law and order disturbances.

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