PRAYAGRAJ, July 13 -- Police personnel in Prayagraj and 16 other police ranges across Uttar Pradesh will soon receive advanced firearms training with the installation of Containerized Tubular Shooting Ranges (CTSRs), a move aimed at enhancing operational preparedness and shooting skills. The state government has approved the procurement of 17 CTSRs at a cost of about Rs 26.43 crore as part of its police modernisation drive. The facilities will be set up at 12 zonal headquarters and the police commissionerates of Prayagraj, Lucknow, Varanasi, Gautam Buddha Nagar besides Gorakhpur district. According to an administrative and financial sanction issued by the Home Department on July 6, each high-tech shooting range will cost around Rs 1.55 crore. The project is expected to provide police personnel with modern, safe and realistic live-fire training facilities. In a letter issued by special secretary Dinesh Kumar to the additional director general (headquarters), Lucknow, the government directed that procurement be carried out strictly in accordance with existing rules and procedures. The purchase process must comply with the MSME Department's Government Order dated November 26, 2024, as well as provisions of the Uttar Pradesh Procurement Manual and other applicable financial regulations. The government has also directed the Uttar Pradesh Police Headquarters (Logistics), Lucknow, to verify the make, model, specifications and quantity of the equipment based on operational requirements and departmental norms. All purchases must remain within the sanctioned budget and no deviation from the approved financial allocation will be permitted. The facility is expected to be particularly useful for the Prayagraj police, which routinely handles large-scale deployments during events such as the Mahakumbh, Magh Mela, major religious congregations, VVIP visits and large public demonstrations. Specialized units, including the Special Operations Group (SOG), SWAT and surveillance teams, are also expected to benefit from regular weapons training at the new range. A CTSR is a fully enclosed live-fire training system built inside a 40-foot shipping container. It enables police personnel to practice with pistols, revolvers and other small arms in a controlled environment designed to simulate real-life operational scenarios. The ranges are equipped with bullet traps, sound-control mechanisms and other safety features aimed at preventing stray fire and reducing risk during training.One of the key advantages of the system is its portability. A senior police officer said the new facility would help improve shooting accuracy, response capability and confidence among personnel, strengthening the overall operational readiness of the force....