Work on the new multi-storey building for the personnel of the Tirumangalam police was completed a month ago, but they continue to work from a dilapidated rented building in a shopping complex, just one hundred metres away.
Police sources say a wait for a nod from the police top brass as well as other factors are contributing to the delay in moving into the new building. Many of the police personnel at the station are now posted on duty in other parts of the city.
“As a lot of important material at the station such as record books have to be shifted, we are waiting for some time for all our police personnel to return to station duty,” say police sources.
So, the police personnel have to continue to endure the cramped rented premises for some more time. The space constraint is so immense that there is no exclusive space for visitors where they can file complaints; nor is there sufficient parking space.
This is not the first time that a newly-built police station has remained unoccupied due to functional difficulties. Earlier cases include the Muthapet police station in Broadway, Thirumullaivoyal police station on the Chennai–Tiruvallur High (CTH) Road near Ambattur and Maduravoyal police station where the opening was delayed by months after construction.
The Tamil Nadu Police Housing Corporation (TNPHC), the nodal agency for any construction work relating to the police in the state, started construction of the new building in February 2018.
As per the plan, the new station has been built in a total space of around 9,600 sq ft with the built-up accounting for 3,000 sq.ft. Highlights of the building include special ramps also for the disabled. The new police building will also accommodate assistant commissioner office (traffic wing), Koyambedu range.
