District prison in Mangaluru will be shifted at the earliest: Home Minister Parameshwara

Responding to concerns over jammers affecting the public, the Home Minister said the devices were damaged by inmates.

Mangaluru: Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara said that the district prison in Mangaluru will be shifted to the outskirts of the city at the earliest.

Speaking after inaugurating police quarters in Moodbidri and laying the foundation stone for new police quarters at Police Lane in Mangaluru on Tuesday, he said that a sum of Rs 120 crore is required to complete the new prison project. Of this, Rs 50 crore is needed for constructing the compound wall. “Once the compound wall is completed, we can shift the prison as the barracks have already been constructed. The remaining interior works can be taken up later,” he said.

“During the pre-Budget meeting, I requested the Chief Minister to sanction funds to complete the prison work in Mangaluru. I am confident that the CM will approve the allocation,” he added.

Responding to concerns over jammers affecting the public, he said the devices were damaged by inmates. He also noted that the Mangaluru prison has been witnessing frequent scuffles. “I have asked the technical team to regulate the jammer system so that it functions only within the prison premises,” he said.

The Minister said the State government will continue the Police Gruha scheme until 2030, giving top priority to addressing housing issues faced by police personnel. When the scheme was launched in 2015, the unit cost per house was Rs 18 lakh. It has now increased to Rs 32 lakh. As only 40% of the quarters have been constructed so far, the government has decided to extend the scheme till 2030.

“My dream is to construct quarters for all the 1.10 lakh police personnel serving in the state,” he said.

He added that 100 quarters will be sanctioned to Mangaluru next year. There are around 1,900 police personnel in the city, of whom only 40% currently have quarters.

Police personnel are working under extreme conditions to ensure that citizens can celebrate festivals peacefully, he said. Karnataka ranks second in the country in attracting investments, and improved law and order, ensured by the police, has contributed to this achievement, he added.

Stating that achieving a drug-free Karnataka is not an easy task, the Minister said police are seizing drugs on a daily basis. “If parents remain vigilant and monitoring of students continues, the drug menace can be contained,” he said, directing police to take strict action against drug-related offences.

On the demand for new police stations, he said proposals would be examined as there are several guidelines to be followed before establishing a new station. He assured that buildings for police stations would be sanctioned wherever required.

The Minister also said that boats belonging to the Coastal Security Police are in poor condition. Of the 15 boats, only three to four are currently functional. “I have sought funds to improve the facilities of the Coastal Security Police so that sea surveillance can be strengthened,” he said.

Mangaluru City South MLA D Vedavyasa Kamath demanded new buildings for the Kankanady Police Station, Traffic Police Station and Bunder Police Station.

IGP (Western Range) Amit Singh, Commissioner of Police Sudheer Kumar Reddy CH, SP Dr Arun K and others were present.