The Himachal Pradesh government acknowledged in the Vidhan Sabha on Monday that no official notification or directive exists regarding the establishment of camp offices at the residences of district superintendents of police.

However, despite the absence of formal guidelines, Rs 32.73 lakh has been spent over the past three years on maintaining these offices or purchasing items for them.

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From bath towels and hand towels to potato peelers and toilet brushes, a variety of household items have been procured for SP camp offices across the state.

Responding to a starred question from Dharamshala BJP MLA Sudhir Sharma regarding the establishment of SP camp offices other than existing offices, in a written reply by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu in the State Legislative Assembly stated that no notification or instruction for the opening of camp offices is available.

However, the residence of the Superintendent of Police in the respective districts serves as a camp office, ensuring 24×7 public access for maintaining law and order, he maintained.

Himachal Pradesh has 15 police districts. Between January 1, 2022, and February 28, 2025, a total of Rs 29.94 lakh has been spent on the maintenance of SP camp offices at their residences.

The highest expenditure—Rs 8.62 lakh—was incurred in Sirmaur, followed by Baddi at nearly Rs 7 lakh. Kangra saw close to Rs 5 lakh in spending, while Shimla recorded a modest Rs 1 lakh over the last three years.

In contrast, no funds were spent for maintenance in eight police districts, including Nurpur, Solan, Lahaul & Spiti, Chamba, Dehra, Bilaspur, Kullu, and Kinnaur.

Interestingly, while no maintenance costs were reported for the Solan SP camp office, a range of household items was still purchased.
These included four bath towels, three hand towels, six glass jugs, two sets of spoons, a large knife, a potato peeler, two tile brushes, four 25-litre baskets, four mugs, four toilet brushes, a hot case, two brush holders, and a pressure cooker.

At the Baddi SP camp office, over Rs 1 lakh was spent on various purchases, including an inverter battery, flower pots, a cup-and-saucer set, an air conditioner, a desert cooler, and repairs to a water filter and iron gate.

Meanwhile, the Kangra SP camp office saw the acquisition of an air conditioner and a geyser.