Resting cabins have come up for policemen at seven busy intersections in Bengaluru.
An initiative of the city police, they are sponsored by Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL).
The structures can be seen at Freedom Park, Maurya Junction, Chalukya Circle, Malleswaram (next to BJP office), Town Hall, City Market and Ullala. They are made of light steel with tubes providing the framework, says Mohammed Siddiq, owner A-S Portable Cabins, who manufactured and supplied the structures.
The police identified the spots for the cabins. Each cabin is 20 ft long and 10 ft wide and can be moved around on a lorry. The cabins, which cost Rs 4.3 lakh each, are made to suit all weather conditions, says Siddiq.
The idea to install these cabins was the brainchild of former city police commissioner Bhaskar Rao. “I was passing by Freedom Park one day when I saw a police woman sitting on the pavement. I stopped the car and asked her what had happened. Without a second thought, she broke down saying she was going through severe menstrual pain,” he says.
That’s when it occurred to him, he says, that police personnel, on long hours of duty, had no place to rest, change their clothes or even use the toilet. “I immediately discussed it with DCP (Admin) Nisha James and she suggested that we could have temporary shelters. That’s how we installed these cabins,” says Rao.
Police Commissioner Kamal Pant says women now have easy access to a toilet and shelter from harsh weather.
The cabins have appeared on footpaths, already under pressure all across Bengaluru from encroachers of all kinds. “We have chosen locations where the footpath is broad and there’s enough room for pedestrian movement. This is not a permanent structure and can be moved around,” Pant says. The structures are strategically placed where large gatherings and protests take place, he notes.
“While traffic policemen have always had their own posts, the law and order wing has never had any,” he says.
BIAL is proud of how the cabins will help policemen.
“Placed at strategic locations, they provide them protection from harsh weather, enable smooth functioning during peak hours and also make it a primary point of contact for citizens,” a BIAL spokesperson told Metrolife.
What is inside
Meeting area with four roll-on chairs
Four bunk beds with mattresses
A bath and toilet with
a Western commode
Energy-efficient
LED lights
Two ceiling fans and electrical sockets
Provision for air conditioning
300-litre overhead
water tank
Pantry