VIJAYAWADA:A total of 626 quarters for 35,00 police personnel. The figure tells the whole picture.
The cops, who are working 24X7 for keeping the city safe, are running from pillar to post in search of rented houses as they are no sufficient quarters to accommodate them.And the worse: The existing quarters, allotted to cops by the State government under the Police Housing Scheme, are in dilapidated state.
“More than 50 per cent of the quarters given to the officers working in Vijayawada city are in a dilapidated state. Living in those quarters is nothing, but risking our life. They need urgent repair,” said a senior police official.With no other option left, police officials are living in rented houses by paying `10,000 to `20,000. While the officers in the range of Assistant commissioner of police (ACP), circle inspectors (CI) and sub-inspectors are living rented houses, constables and other staff have decided to live in the dilapidated quarters as they are unable to pay the huge rent rates prevail in the city.
For Krishna Pushkarams works, former district collector A Babu ordered revenue officials to demolish the 72-police quarter-complex in front of Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) office near Canal Road. “In return, he (Babu) promised us that another suitable land will be allotted for building the quarters for police. That promise still remained on papers. Now, I’m spending `10,000 as rent from `25,000 monthly salary after I lost my quarters,” rued a head constable.
In fact, it’s the State government’s duty to provide rent-free accommodation to the police personnel and it was recognised as back as 1861 when the foundation was laid for the present police system in the country.
Former DGP N Sambasiva Rao said though he had plans to demolish all the quarters and construct new ones in the same location for police, he failed to add a single quarters in Vijayawada.
After his retirement, the proposal of staff housing failed to pick up the momentum with no officials concerned bothered about the same. “The project is pending. In the last three years, no new quarters were constructed in Vijayawada. Not only Vijayawada, the situation is same in all the districts in the State. Quarters for staff is an essential prerequisite and it will bring effective functioning in the department,” said a senior police official.
Meanwhile, AP Police Housing Corporation chairman Sk Nagul Meera said the government is keen to construct quarters for police officials in the city and it was their top priority. “We are searching for a suitable location to construct quarters under Public Private Partnership (PPP) model,” he said.
In dilapidated state
Vijayawada city had four police quarter complexes, of which one was demolished
Quarters at the One-town police station and Hanumanpet were in a severe state of neglect and are in a dilapidated state
The city has only 626 quarters for 35,00 policemen
According to Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D), state government at least 80 per cent of the police force should get housing accommodation in the city
It further opined that police residing near police stations will respond quickly at the times of emergencies
Neither DGP’s office nor Police Housing Corporation sanctioned a single quarter in the last two years