AHMEDABAD, May 29: Off the cuff, on the spot. Chief Minister Shankersinh Vaghela doesn't believe in mincing words. Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to believe in thinking them over either. The State police department has been at the receiving end of his ``act now, think later'' policy.

The officials have already heard four announcements, and three quiet retractions. The latest promise, made on Sunday, is likely to go the same way.

The first of the declarations came on December 15 last year. No police department vehicle, Vaghela ruled, could now sport red flashing beacons. The regional transport office was asked to seize all vehicles with such lights, except ambulances and fire engines.

There was just one problem: none of the police department's vehicles used red beacons. Following a 1993 instruction, the department had replaced them all with orange lights. But since an order was an order, some officials went ahead and removed these orange flashlights too from their cars.

The next day came another instruction. On second thoughts, the Chief Minister ordered, the DGP should instruct the Control Room that from December 17, all department vehicles could continue with orange beacons.

The second of Vaghela's shenanigans followed a month later. In January 1997, the police department was abuzz with rumours of a large-scale reshuffle. To put an end to them, the Chief Minister announced at a meeting that only a few would be shifted. He did not believe in whole-scale transfers, Vaghela said.

Before this could sink in, the shifting orders arrived. Thirty-eight SPs were transferred, a dozen of whom had been at their posts for less than six months. When DGP P K Dutta made some changes in the transfer list sent to him, his powers to transfer inspectors and sub-inspectors were withdrawn.

Another Vaghela promise has been put on the backburner. With great fanfare, he had announced in February the formation of a Prohibition and Excise Commissionerate to enforce dry law in the State. An IPS officer was made the commissioner and asked to select his own men for the set-up. No appointments have followed. Meanwhile, Vaghela made another declaration, that a crackdown against bootleggers would begin on May 1. That promise too hangs fire.

The latest announcement was made by the Chief Minister on Sunday. Close on the heels of his disbanding of four premier crime-controlling agencies, Vaghela announced on May 25 that he was willing to even create a post of Additional DGP to handle crime.

The decision may not be implemented as it could create jurisdiction problems. It has also attracted attention towards Vaghela's ad hoc disbanding of the agencies. Though notorious for corruption, removing them without setting up an alternative mechanism was no solution, senior officers had said.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.