To end case backlog,home department plans FSL Kalina revamp

“We are planning to go in for horizontal as well as vertical expansion and upgrade of the FSL at Kalina,” said Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Umesh Chandra Sarangi. “This means that not only will we increase manpower and expand existing units in the lab,new technology and machines will also be added. Forensic psychology,cyber forensics as well as tape and voice authentication are some of the key new areas being developed,with 39 posts being sanctioned for them.”

Sources revealed that Sarangi visited the FSL on two occasions recently. He went to various divisions of the laboratory to take stock of the number of staff and the number of cases they can handle at a time.

“The problem needed to be identified quickly and it was important to quantify it in some way. Only then would it be possible to come up with plans to rectify the situation. As things stand now,the number of cases pending with each department in the FSL keep on mounting every year. This translates into an increasing delay in submitting reports in cases referred to it,which leads to delays in serious investigations,” said another home department official,who did not wish to be named.

The report on the FSL,accessed by Newsline,paints a grim picture as each division of the lab — barring one — has recorded an increasing backlog of cases. The toxicology division has the highest number of pending cases (see box). The only division in the FSL which has managed to clear some of its backlog in recent years is the prohibition and excise. This division conducts tests to ascertain the percentage of alcohol in samples of illicit,country or foreign liquor in possession offences. It also conducts tests to find the blood alcohol concentration in consumption offences under the Bombay Police Act,such as rash driving.