Kalaburgi: Om Prakash, Director-General and Inspector-General of Police, has said that the Karnataka State Police Recruitment Board is in the process of recruiting 10,000 police constables by the year-end.

After inspecting a farewell parade organised by the North-Eastern Range here on Sunday, he said that the board had recruited nearly 6,500 police constables last year and the drive would help augment the strength of the department.

The State government was bearing an additional burden of Rs. 197 crore by providing a hike in pay scale and allowances, and giving other benefits to the police personnel. As many as 11,212 police constables and head constables had been promoted in a year and this would add an additional annual burden of Rs. 25 crore on the government exchequer, Mr. Om Prakash said. “The government has allocated Rs. 2,000 crore in the budget for constructing 11,000 houses for the police personnel. Around 5,000 houses are in various stages of completion. The department has proposed to the government to sanction 150 new vehicles to different stations across the State,” he said.

Around 10 new patrol vehicles would be given to the North-Eastern Range, he added.