Soon, lounge for visitors at city police stations

Rooms being built at Saraswathipuram and N R Traffic stations

 Lounge at airports, waiting room at railway stations are already the thing of the past. What’s new is, police stations turning more public-friendly with exclusive room for visitors or complainants, replete with facilities to make one feel comfortable.

Exclusive visitors rooms are being built at Saraswatipuram station and N R Traffic station, in the city, at an estimated cost of Rs 10 lakh each. The rooms are being built on a site in the dimension of 20x30 ft.

The work is being executed by the Nirmithi Kendra and civil works are almost complete at Saraswatipuram and N R stations.

It includes a huge hall, where sophisticated furniture, chairs and tables will be put up, besides providing drinking water and a toilet in a corner of the room.

An officer, preferring anonymity, told Deccan Herald, the jurisdiction of Saraswatipuram station is spread over nine km radius, catering to the population of about 1.35 lakh. The prominent areas include K G  Koppal, T K Layout, Janatha Nagar, Bogadi village, Sharadadevi Nagar and Saraswatipuram. 

Students from various foreign countries, who are pursuing education in city colleges, form a section of the residents in Bogadi and surrounding areas. That apart, locals also form a major chunk of the population.

Whenever complainants come to the station, they have to wait in the corridor till the officers listen to their grievances. In some stations, it is too congested for the staff themselves. For the benefit of both men (term used for police force in general) and the visitors, a separate room is being constructed. Apart from the public (complainants), it can be used by the police personnel too — either to take a break or for the weekly meetings or briefings.

The visitors room are an addition to the rest rooms already constructed at the stations across the State a decade ago.