HUBBALLI:Six police stations in the limits of Hubballi-Dharwad Police commissionerate do not have their own buildings. The commissionerate pays Rs 6.42 lakh per annum as rent for these buildings. Besides, most of the buildings are small and lack basic facilities.
Vidya Nagar, one of the oldest stations which was sanctioned in 1971, functions from a rented building with a 1,000 sqft area. It does not have a room to keep records and files and has no lock-up.
The accused brought to the station have to sit with the visitors in a small hall.
As there is not enough parking space, policemen too face problems in parking their vehicles apart from keeping those which were seized.
The first proposal for a building for the station was sent in 2003. The department had identified 11 guntas for the purpose at Siddheshwar Park. But nothing has materialised.
The situation is no different at Kasabapet and Gokul Road police stations. Both the stations have no lock-ups.
A week ago, the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board identified 7 guntas near the Hubballi Airport for the Gokul Road police station. At present, the station is running from a building of the North Karnataka Small Scale Industries Association.
Kasabapet police station is functioning from a building of the Banashankari temple, which also has no adequate space. The station is the smallest compared others in the commissionerate limits with no space for seized goods or vehicles.
Kasabapet officials had made many requests for a parking space. Interestingly, the department is finding it difficult to identify land for the police station as it falls in the old city area.
South Traffic police station located in a remote area in Old Hubballi is running at the corporation building since its inception. They are not finding an appropriate location for a building.
An official of the South Traffic police station said they find it difficult to visit accident spots as the station is located in a thickly populated area with narrow roads.
The new building should be started near the Old PB Road as more accidents and traffic hazards take place there. People can also access the station easily.
The Hubballi North traffic police station has received eviction notice from the HDMC. The department had notified 20.66 guntas near APMC for the station along with a ACP traffic office. It had also sent a proposal for construction of the building.
For one-and-a-half-years, the HDMC has not been receiving rent from the station and hence they served the eviction notice.
Police Commissioner Reacts
Police Commissioner Ravindra Prasad told Express: “We have identified land for some stations, including Vidya Nagar, Gokul Road, North Traffic and ACP Traffic and proposals have also been sent to the department.”
Regarding eviction of North Traffic police station, he said: “We will not vacate the building. The HDMC is also a government authority. They cannot evict us.”