COIMBATORE: Coimbatore city police have begun repairing works of the Rathinapuri police station which was unused for the last one year as it did not get approval from the Local Planning Authority. The renovated building is likely to be inaugurated on October 20.
Rathinapuri police station has been functioning at PM Samy Colony in Viswasapuram for a monthly rent of Rs 9,000 since 2006. The rented building lacks basic amenities and space for parking, which causes inconvenience to the public.
Following the demand for the new police station, the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation allotted 15 cents of land on Sampath Street on GV Ramasamy road and the police housing corporation constructed the three-storey building at Rs 2.64 crore in 2022. However, the Local Planning Authority (LPA) denied permission to the building citing the space constraints for the parking area.
The police were asked to remove the compound wall of the station to ensure the parking place. Meanwhile, as the process to obtain permission to open the station was delayed, the premises became a haven for anti-social elements and miscreants damaged the toilet doors of the station.
TNIE published a report on the misuse of the premises September 20 following which officials expedited the process of getting approval. As per sources, citing the space constraint, the police got a GO which allows them to get a building work completion certificate from the LPA by ensuring enough parking space. Following this, they demolished the compound wall and arranged a parking place.
“The GO allows us to get permission from the town planning authorities and the process is on. Meanwhile, we have started to repair the damages and partition the sections inside the station building. The inauguration is scheduled on October 20 and after 18 years the station officials get their own building,” said a senior police officer.