Trees to make way for new commissionerate

FACELIFT FOR COMMISSIONERATE

Ashwini Y S & Ambarish B | TNN



Tile-roof offices with an old world charm, the small patch of greenery and asphalted pathway, and rows of vehicles with beacons.
This image of the police commissionerate on Infantry Road is all set for a makeover in keeping with the changing face of Bangalore.
The sprawling structure is built in U-shape and apart from housing many offices of the police department, it is also home to old trees and a few hundred bats!
Built four decades ago, the commissioner’s office may have weakened over the years. Soon, some portions of the old building will make way for a modern structure with a glass facade, the works on which has been entrusted to the Karnataka State Police Housing Corporation (KSHPC).
This futuristic seven-floor structure of 1.7 lakh sqft will be built in two years at a cost of Rs 18 crore, KSHPC commissioner Sri Kumar told The Times of India.
Some portions of the old building such as the commissioner’s office will be retained, but other portions will be brought down once the trees on the premises are relocated. Around 18 trees in the compound, barring the three trees that have been home to hundreds of bats, will be relocated inside the premises itself.
“We didn’t want to disturb the bats in any which way, hence we changed some of our structural plans so that we were not coming in way of the creatures. Around three tress are home to bats,’’ Sri Kumar added.
Once work begins, most of the office staff will have to be shifted, while a few of them, including the commissioner, will continue to stay on in.
After the trees are shifted, the next step will be to build a first floor over the control room to house the staff.
The new building will be built in phases. Changes, if any, can be incorporated subsequently. For now, a basement parking will be built. The remaining floors will be built in phases.
Apart from the existing wings, the new facility will include additional wings like the PM’s security section and the prosecution section.
BAT TREES
For many years, hundreds of bats have nested in the trees inside the commissionerate. The bats may have caused inconvenience to visitors, who find that their vehicle seats are torn. Nevertheless, the police department is used to the presence of these creatures and has decided not to disturb them. Three trees that house the bats will not be relocated, but the remaining marked ones will be shifted within the premises.
POLICE FACTOIDS
Bangalore is the first city to get commissionerate in the state. It was built in 1963 1st police commissioner: C Chandy The city had of 37 stations in 1963 IN PLACE NOW...
102 law and order stations under six zones; 35 traffic stations
300 control room staff, 300 officials, including senior police officers and clerks
Departments: administration, traffic police, city armed reserve (CAR), airport security, VVIP security, immigration, foreigners registration officer (FRO), city special branch (CSB), central crime branch (CCB), city crime records bureau (CCRB), Makkala and Mahila Sahayavani