Space woes greet police at Devanahalli airport

Space woes greet police at Devanahalli airport

Special Correspondent

No space provided for police stations, State Intelligence wing

DGP draws attention to

BIAL ‘lapse’

Issue of pantry services for policemen discussed

— Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

Discussions: Chief Secretary Sudhakar Rao and Union Civil Aviation Secretary Ashok Chawla at a meeting in Bangalore on Saturday.

BANGALORE: The State police are annoyed that the Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) has not provided space and buildings for police stations and the office of the State Intelligence wing, at the new airport in Devanahalli.

At a high-level meeting of senior bureaucrats and BIAL officials here on Saturday, Director-General and Inspector-General of Police K.R. Srinivasan drew attention to the “lapse” on the part of the BIAL despite a proposal made by the police.

Sources in the State police told The Hindu that Mr. Srinivasan had told the BIAL representatives that the State police itself would get buildings constructed for police stations and the BIAL could reimburse the cost.

Though the BIAL officials indicated that they would provide temporary structure for housing police stations, senior police officials who were present at the meeting were not happy about it, the sources said.

Space had been provided in the terminal building for offices of the Intelligence Bureau and Customs Department. But no space had been earmarked for the State Intelligence wing that coordinated with Central agencies, monitored VVIP arrivals and departures and thus played a vital role in ensuring foolproof security, the sources said.

The issue of providing pantry services and change rooms to policemen working in the immigration wing and other police personnel was also discussed, they said.

“We cannot expect the policemen to buy food at the terminal building by paying hefty prices every day. Pantry services or mess facility should be provided to policemen who will be working in shifts at the airport,” the sources said. The State Government is yet to accord sanction for establishing two police stations at the airport and a traffic police station at Chikkajala on Devanahalli Road. A few weeks ago, the State police had sent a proposal in this regard to the Government, the sources said. In it, the State police had urged the Government to bring certain areas around Devanahalli under the jurisdiction of the Bangalore City Police. These areas are now under the limits of Bangalore Rural District Police. Certain areas surrounding the airport would be brought under the proposed north-east division that would be headed by a Deputy Commissioner of Police.

Overlapping jurisdiction had created certain functional problems for the police in drawing up traffic and security plans, the sources added.