No relief in sight for High Grounds police

No relief in sight for High Grounds police

M.T. Shiva Kumar

They have been working from a makeshift shed for close to three years now

— Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P.

Pitiable state: The High Grounds police station.

BANGALORE: For close to three years now, policemen at the High Grounds police station have been functioning from a makeshift shed. And there are no signs that the work that has been taken up will finish soon.

The higher-ups in the police have asked the State Government to sanction place near the Balabrooie government guest-house, on Palace Road, to set up an interim station.

The High Grounds police station, which is in charge of the security of the Chief Minister and several of his Cabinet colleagues, is a shambles. Important jobs involving VVIPs are carried out from a pitiable damp shed made of asbestos and zinc sheet, tarpaulins and plywood sheets. With no windows, ventilation and coolers, the station suffered severe damage during the recent rain. Ammunition, FIRs, charge sheets and other important documents, computers and wireless systems lie scattered.
Demolished

Until October 2005, the station was located in a heritage building near Basaveshwara Circle. On the pretext of constructing a new building, the then Police Commissioner S. Mariswamy instructed them to move out. The landmark heritage building was demolished and the staff have been working from the makeshift shed since then.

Commissioner of Police Shankar Mahadev Bidari said: “We have requested the State Government to give some land near Balabrooie. We expect a positive response.”

Admitting that the police have been working out of a shed for too long, he said that they were desperately searching for a suitable building. “Unfortunately, we could not find any place. We are ready to pay up to Rs. 2 lakh per month as rent, but no one is ready to give a suitable building. We found a few, but they failed to meet our requirements,” he told The Hindu.

Meanwhile, police officials functioning from the makeshift shed say they are suffering.

“We are providing security to the residences of the Chief Minister and Home Minister. Besides, we also take care of the security at the residences of several High Court judges, Palace Grounds, Cantonment, Chalukya Junction, Racecourse, Golf Club, Ashoka Road, Windsor Manor, Seven Ministers quarters near Golf Club, Maharani College, SJRC college and several other important buildings and structures, including five-star hotels. Our jurisdiction spreads across several km, but unfortunately we are in a shed,” a policeman lamented.
No safety

“As there are no safety measures in this station, there are chances that anybody can steal our weapons, documents and other belongings. Many a time, we have lost our lunchboxes, uniforms, books and bags which were kept outside the shed. Moreover, we do not have lock-ups. This ‘shed station’ has no toilets. We take accused persons to the Racecourse toilets. Women constables are particularly upset about the absence of toilets,” he said.