The new police booth under the Koyambedu flyover may be ready to start functioning, but lacks a key component that will enable it to get started — sufficient manpower. There aren’t any permanent staff at the facility and staff shortage is cited as reason for this situation.
CCTV cameras have been installed in front of the booth, which was opened in April this year to monitor vehicular movement and prevent petty crimes in the neighbourhood.
Following the construction of the police booth, the space around it was spruced up and defunct street lights below the flyover were replaced with new ones.
Now, the space around the booth is largely being used by pushcart vendors to take a quick nap.
“At night, the space around the booth will invariably be strewn with empty liquor bottles,” says K. Prabakaran, a motorist from Anna Nagar.
A functional booth will improve safety quotient of this section. For, on an average, more than two lakh vehicles including container lorries from states such as Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, go down J.N Main Road between Guindy and Puzhal. Opening of the Metro Rail services between Anna Nagar and airport has also necessitated greater surveillance due to continual movement of vehicles.
The booth is mainly meant to monitor movements along Cooum river and vehicles that enter and leave the major parts of the city via Koyambedu. It is also expected to track the movement of goods-laden lorries that come from Andhra Pradesh and head to the southern parts of Tamil Nadu.
As per norms, a police booth should be manned by four police personnel with assistance from the police patrol team, round-the-clock.
The booth is much-needed as it is the only such facility between Anna Nagar and Vadapalani.
“Steps will be taken to deploy police personnel at the booth permanently,” say police sources.
