The routine flooding of the Railway Police Station in Udhagamandalam town during rain is leading to the personnel getting sick. They are also at the risk of electrocution.
The police station, located in a low-lying area within the Udhagamandalam Railway Station, lies just across the road from the Kodappamund Channel. During rain, the channel, which is usually clogged with sewage, overflows and floods the entire building, causing power outages, and damage to electrical equipment.
Police officials, who worked in the railway police station in the past, said that there had been instances where computers had stopped working as water entered the circuit boards, while files and documents too had been destroyed.
On Saturday, heavy rain in the town once again led to the police station becoming inundated with sewage from the channel and rainwater. Policemen complained that trash and garbage from the channel too entered the building and they could not stay inside atleast for a week because of the stench.
“Another problem is that it becomes a breeding ground for mosquitoes and the police personnel get sick very often,” said a policeman who was posted at the railway police station a few years ago.
The only workable solution to prevent the building from flooding was to ensure that the Kodappamund Channel was unclogged, the police personnel said. They also urged the railways to construct a police station in another part of the railway station which was away from the Channel.
