Police housing woes prompted families to move into ‘dangerous’ building

The crack that surfaced inside the building. Credit: DH Photo

It was the ordeal of finding decent accommodation elsewhere in Bengaluru’s concrete jungle that prompted several families to live in the dangerous ‘B’ Block of the police quarters at Binny Mills.

The 32 families living in the eight-storey quarters had spent sleepless nights before a crack surfaced in the common area of the building on Saturday. They had moved in despite knowing about the lurking danger. Before the crack appeared, residents were already grappling with electrical issues and water seepage during the rainy season. Still, the families chose to move in because they had no option, said a resident of the adjoining C’ ‘Block. “It’s difficult to get decent police quarters,” she said.

Also Read | Bengaluru top cop assures alternative accommodation to those affected by 'crack' in building

A resident of ‘B’ Block said that it was not even a year since they had moved in and were still settling down. “It took us a while to get necessary utilities such as gas, internet, etc. Shifting to another place is going to be difficult,” she said.

Schooling is another worry because the families had enrolled their children at nearby institutions. “We recently got our children admitted to a nearby school. Shifting elsewhere would create commute problems for children,” a third resident said.

All the residents agree that house allotment in the police department is not easy. They don’t want to move out unless they are allotted similar quarters.

A police officer echoed the families, saying the Binny Mills quarters is conveniently located for police personnel to commute to work. The alternative arrangements at Annapoorneshwari Nagar are not very convenient, he added.

Watch the latest DH Videos here: