City Police to absorb newly added wards of Corporation

Merger to come into effect from December 1

Come December 1, all the 28 wards that were added to Madurai Corporation in October 2011 will be merged with the Madurai City Police.

This will increase the jurisdiction of the city police by three fold – close to 148 square km from the existing 52 square km. “We are working towards the merger by December 1,” Commissioner of Police Sanjay Mathur said.

However, transfer of cases from the district police to the city police would take some more time, Superintendent of Police Vijayendra Bidari said.

All the three police stations (PS) – Law and Order, All Women Police Station and Traffic – of Tirupparankundram, and major portions under the jurisdiction of Tirunagar, Avaniapuram and Koodal Pudur PS will be merged with the city. As a result, the city will get four new police stations.

Jurisdiction to increase

Besides, the jurisdiction of Anna Nagar police station and Tallakulam police station will substantially increase as many of the new wards will be integrated with them.

While Anna Nagar PS will get four additional wards (29-32) from Karuppayoorani PS, Tallakulam PS will become much bigger with six wards (4, 24-26, 48 and 49) from Silaiman PS limits.

One ward (28) under Othakadai Police Station will be merged with K. Pudur Police Station, with the premises of Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court coming under it. Ward 55 under Silaiman Police Station will go with Teppakulam Police Station.

“The city police will become co-terminus with the Corporation with all its 100 wards,” Mr. Mathur also said.

More control

However, as of now, the city police will get only the available strength of the district police for the expanded jurisdiction. “The strength will be increased over a period,” he added.

With the Commissioner of Police having powers to book habitual offenders under the Goondas Act, the police will have more control over criminals, especially in crime-prone areas of Avaniapuram, Koodal Pudur and Tirupparankundram.

The district police will lose one sub-division as a major area under the jurisdiction of Tirupparankundram sub-division will be merged with the city.

Though the merger will be a major relief for the district police, two sub-divisions – Tirumangalam and Oomachikulam – will become bigger with the merger of additional areas from other police stations.

A police officer said Perungudi, now under Tirupparankundram PS, would be merged with Oomachikulam sub-division and Austinpatti PS with Tirumangalam sub-division.