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Manpower, funds crunch hits Maharashtra's plans for forensic testing mini labs

These mini labs, which were to have biology and toxicology divisions, would help law-enforcement agencies investigate cases of rape, sexual assault, murder, attempt to murder, suicides and viscera testing.

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The state government's plans to augment its forensic testing infrastructure by establishing five new mini labs across Maharashtra may be hit by a manpower and funds crunch.

These labs were to be set up this year at Thane, Dhule, Chandrapur, Solapur and Ratnagiri.

"The idea was to have forensic testing facilities within a distance of 200 km across the state so that police can bring in evidence for analysis faster while ensuring that quality of the sample is maintained. It will ensure the sample is not degraded or compromised due to factors like temperature variations," a senior state government official told DNA.

These mini labs, which were to have biology and toxicology divisions, would help law-enforcement agencies investigate cases of rape, sexual assault, murder, attempt to murder, suicides and viscera testing. These two departments have the maximum number of samples pending for tests.

"We have a large number of vacant posts of technical staff and this, combined with the state government's poor financial position may lead to the plan being pushed forward to next year. Meanwhile, we are identifying suitable sites for these mini labs in these cities," the official said.

He noted that of the around 1,330 sanctioned technical posts in the forensic science laboratories, just 770 were filled up. However, the state government had agreed to fill 444 of these vacant posts in addition to recruiting 650 personnel on contract basis to make up for the staff shortfall. The official said once these posts were filled up, it would be possible for the expansion plans to be rolled out.

Maharashtra has a state-level forensic science laboratory in Mumbai and seven across the state (Nagpur, Pune, Nashik, Amravati, Nanded, Kolhapur and Aurangabad). It has DNA testing facilities at Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Nashik and Aurangabad. The state government has deployed 45 mobile forensic support units in each of the nine police commissionerates and 36 district police headquarters.

In its report submitted to the state legislature in the recent monsoon session, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) noted that the forensic science laboratories in the state were affected by the shortage of technical staff, which led to 34,171 samples pending investigation as on January 1, 2017.

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