Chhattisgarh Implements Police Commissionerate System in Raipur Urban Area
In a significant administrative overhaul, the Chhattisgarh government has officially launched a police commissionerate system in the Raipur urban belt, effectively dividing the district into two distinct policing jurisdictions starting January 23. This strategic move creates an Inspector General-led "Raipur urban police district" encompassing 21 police stations, alongside a Superintendent of Police-led "Raipur rural police district" covering 12 police stations.
Structural Framework and Jurisdictional Division
The initiative, formalized through a series of notifications issued from Nava Raipur, aims to establish sharper law-and-order command structures, enable faster preventive actions, and facilitate specialized policing in the capital region. State authorities have cited Raipur–Birgaon's expanding urban footprint and an estimated population of approximately 19 lakh as primary drivers for this reorganization.
According to the gazette notification released by the Home Department, the government has constituted the Raipur urban police district (commissionerate) with the Inspector General of Police serving as the Commissioner of Police. Meanwhile, the Raipur rural police district will continue under the supervision of the Superintendent of Police.
The urban commissionerate will include 21 police stations:
- Civil Lines
- Devendra Nagar
- Telibandha
- Kotwali
- Ganj
- Gudhiyari
- Gol Bazar
- Purani Basti
- D.D. Nagar
- Azad Chowk
- Amanaka
- Saraswati Nagar
- Kabir Nagar
- Rajendra Nagar
- Mujgahan
- Tikrapara
- Urla (excluding villages outside Nagar Palika Nigam Birgaon limits)
- Khamtarai
- Khallari
- Pandri
- Khamhardih
The rural police district will cover 12 stations including:
- Kharora
- Simga
- Tilda–Nevra
- Mandir Hasaud
- Arang
- Abhanpur
- Gobra Nawapara
- Other notified stations under SP jurisdiction
Executive Magistrate Powers and Legal Framework
In a pivotal development associated with commissionerate policing, the notification confers executive magistrate powers within the commissionerate area upon the Commissioner of Police (IG rank). This legal framework outlines how these powers will be exercised, designed to enable swifter preventive and public-order actions without routing all decisions through the traditional executive magistracy chain.
The document references multiple laws in connection with the commissionerate framework, including:
- The Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973
- The Police Act, 1861
- Motor Vehicles Act, 1988
- Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956
- Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967
- Official Secrets Act, 1923
- Chhattisgarh Rajya Suraksha Adhiniyam, 1990
Organizational Structure and Implementation Strategy
The state has also notified a gazetted officer structure comprising 21 posts for the Raipur Urban Police District. This staffing blueprint includes:
- Commissioner of Police (IG)
- Additional Commissioner
- Deputy Commissioners
- Additional Deputy Commissioners
- Assistant Commissioners
These positions will manage portfolios spanning three police districts, traffic and protocol, crime and cyber operations, and key headquarters functions including training and intelligence.
The commissionerate area is further subdivided into three police districts—Central, West and North—each mapped to specific police stations as indicated in the schedule. This arrangement clarifies how station-level policing will be supervised under the new hierarchical structure.
Rationale Behind the Split Model
In the notification's explanatory section, the state government links this move to the size and policing demands of Raipur-Birgaon urban limits. The reorganization addresses the need for more effective law-and-order maintenance and crime control through a commissionerate-style command structure tailored to urban challenges.
Ground-Level Changes and Operational Impact
With the commissionerate system becoming operational from January 23, policing within the notified urban limits will now be routed through the commissionerate chain of command. The schedules detail zonal and district-level distribution of police stations along with designated responsibilities, marking a significant shift in administrative and operational protocols.
This comprehensive restructuring represents Chhattisgarh's commitment to modernizing its policing infrastructure, particularly in rapidly urbanizing areas where traditional policing models may prove inadequate. The dual-jurisdiction approach balances specialized urban policing needs with continued rural law enforcement through established structures.
