Station Revamp

Station Revamp
Corporate donors and concerned citizens give Bangalore's police outposts a renewed lease on life
India Today

Five years ago, Middle East-based builder Ronald Colaco took two foreign friends to the Fraser Town police station in Bangalore to complete some paper work. He and his friends were appalled by the cramped, 1917-built police outpost. Then and there, Colaco decided to do something for the city's 13,500-strong police force. But he knew he could not work a miracle alone. Luckily, he found a kindred soul in Bangalore Police Commissioner S. Mariswamy.

Mariswamy, 57, who took over as commissioner in May 2003, spends more time in the field than in his comfortable office. Shocked to see that almost all of Bangalore's police stations needed sprucing up, he took it upon himself to improve the situation. Colaco's partnership was a Godsend.

Armed with information gathered from personal station visits, Mariswamy wrote to Bangalore's industry captains. Corporate and individual donors-Colaco was the first-have contributed nearly Rs 20 crore. Today, nearly 40 police stations in Bangalore have sponsors. Wipro, Philips Software, Canara Bank, State Bank of India, Toyota Kirloskar and Tata Consultancy Services are a few.

"The Police Department does not even touch a single paise of our money," says Colaco. In fact, that is one of Mariswamy's rules. "We said the money has to be spent directly on the building. It fits in well with corporates' philosophy of keeping things transparent and open."

Some outposts need only minimal work, but others require a fresh start. And it's not just the buildings that are benefiting. Many will receive computers, chairs, meeting halls, investigator's kits, restrooms, first of their kind "people's courts," and landscaping. Deputy Commissioner of Police Gopal Hosur says, "Many citizens dread visiting the police stations. We want to change that."

Bangalore policemen are already overworked-there is only one officer for every 540 people-and financial inefficiency has hampered work. Several crores of rupees in traffic fines are yet to be repatriated to the city from the state. As a result, building renovations and vehicle purchases are not top priorities. Thanks to Mariswamy's initiative, though, the Government stands to save almost Rs 50 crore.

Mariswamy is happy that he has allowed corporates to compete among themselves, and he's confident that all of Bangalore's 80-plus stations will soon find sponsors.