'Red signal' flickers, keeping cops on tenterhooks

Uncertainty looms large over the cops at Devaraja Police Stations- traffic (Nallappa Thana) and Law and Order, following sad turn of events.

The traffic police station functioning in an old building on Dewan’s Road, dates back to the time of Maharaja’s. Though, it’s owned by Commercial Tax Department, the government had given space for the police station, when it was shifted from the earlier building (now the office of ACP Traffic on Shivarampet road) to here, two decades ago.

According to sources, the Department of Commercial Tax has forwarded a notice to the office of Police Commissioner, a month ago, urging the latter to vacate the place and hand over the same to them.

The Commercial Tax Department has plans to construct a spacious building on the said land. The whole area is equally divided among social welfare department and commercial tax.

The former owns the plot in the front, while the latter in the back. The Social Welfare Department has also earmarked the space for Dr B R Ambedkar Bhavan, construction of which is expected to begin soon.

Earlier also on several occasions, similar missives have been sent to the police commissioner, but to no avail, it is learnt. The building that has three spacious rooms is modified with partitions to facilitate the functioning of a station.

If that was the case of traffic with ‘no signal’ of early solutions, the situation of law and order wing on Dhanwantri Road is back to square one. Consistent efforts to build own roof on the land identified for the purpose on Dewan’s Road has gone for a toss.

The dilapidated building with vacant land, behind Nanjaraja Bahaddur Choultry, that was once a destitute’s home, opposite Amrutheshwara Temple had been identified for the station.

But, the office of Commissioner of Muzrai Department, the actual owner of the land have made it clear that they cannot part with the land. Deputy Commissioner Harsh Gupta, who confirmed this said, the district administration will make efforts to look for space elsewhere.

The irony here is, both (traffic and law and order wings) are functioning at the mercy of others, when compared to other stations who have own buildings to boast of. But, the only difference here is, the station on Dhanwantri Road hasn’t received any eviction notice, but for the crumbling state of the same. It is functioning in the official quarters of Resident Medical Officer (RMO) of K R Hospital.

A portion of the floor of a room, called ‘store’ caved in about five years ago. Following this cracks developed in the adjacent room called ‘computer section’ forcing the cops to shift to another room, locking up both the rooms.

When Bhaskar Rao was the Police Commissioner, he tried to construct a building to house the station, at nearby J K Grounds. The plans couldn’t materialise due to some hurdles.