KOCHI: The new office and residential complex of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Kalamassery was opened on Thursday. Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated the facility through video conference.
The office complex, including a community centre and barracks, was constructed at a cost of Rs 41.85 crore. It includes an administrative block with 3,276 sqm built-up area, state-of-the-art investigation and intelligence facilities, a modern interrogation room, etc.
The residential block can house 49 personnel, and also includes the barracks and a community centre. In June 2017, the agency acquired three acres of land from HMT in Kalamassery, which was formally registered in May 2018. The work began in August 2020.
The NIA branch office in Kochi was established in April 2012 and has jurisdiction over Kerala and the Union territory of Lakshadweep.
“The office will be fully functional within a month. Some final work is pending, and this will be completed in a few weeks. The work on the residential complex is progressing in full swing,” an NIA official said. Amit Shah also launched the mobile app ‘Sankalan’ — a compendium of new criminal laws by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) -- and the Digital Criminal Case Management System (CCMS) platform of the NIA.
The Sankalan app has been designed to navigate through new criminal laws as a bridge between old and new criminal laws.
This app will work as a comprehensive guide for all stakeholders. It can also function in offline mode, and its availability has been ensured in far-flung areas so that all stakeholders can have access to desired information round the clock.