AMID heightened security concerns, the state government recently carved up the sensitive Kutch district in western Gujarat into two separate police districts. The two districts — Kutch West and Kutch East — will be headquartered at Bhuj and Gandhidham respectively and an SP rank officer will head each of them.

With an area of 45,612 sq km, Kutch until now had only one police district with its headquarter in Bhuj. One SP rank officer used to look after law and order situation in the entire district.

The largest district of Gujarat and second largest in the country, Kutch shares over 400-km-long border with Pakistan and has a coastline of nearly 350 km.

While the existing Kutch police headquarter in Bhuj will house the headquarter of the Kutch West district police, the government has sanctioned 15 new posts for the creation of Kuch East district police headquarter in Gandhidham, which is expected to be fully established by the end of this financial year.

Kutch Collector R R Varsani said, “We propose to finalise the piece of land by the end of this month.”

Among the new posts sanctioned for Kutch East police district are one SP, two DySPs and other administrative staff. The government has also earmarked an initial amount of Rs 30 lakh for the project and asked for all the new sanctioned posts to be filled up by the end of February next year.

Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Balwant Singh said: “Division of Kutch into two police districts was a long-felt need because of its proximity to Pakistan, industrial growth and a very large geographical area. Kutch is a sensitive and vulnerable district, so its security issues need to be addressed on a priority basis.”

Even as the area of jurisdiction of the two police district headquarters is yet to be notified officially, sources in the Home department said that Kandla and Mundra ports and areas in the eastern side of Kutch, like Rapar, Bhachau and the little Rann of Kutch may come under the jurisdiction of Kutch East.