The inauguration of the imposing building of Mysuru City Police Commissioner’s office on Mirza Road on Tuesday by Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa comes a good 31 years after the Mysuru City Police Commissionerate was set up.
The Commissionerate, which was carved out of Mysuru district police in 1989, had begun functioning from the premises of Mounted Police or Karnataka Armed Reserve Police (KARP) Mounted police headquarters on Lalitha Mahal Road initially.
Participating in the inaugural programme on Tuesday, Director General of Police Praveen Sood, who had earlier served as the Commissioner of Mysuru City Police, recalled that the Mysuru City Police Commissioner did not have an office or a house when the Commissionerate was set up 31 years ago.
However, the public found it difficult to visit the City Police Commissioner’s office and a decision was taken to shift to Band House, a heritage building on Mirza Road, in 1997. Though the Band House was a heritage structure, it was found to be inadequate to house the City Police Commissioner’s office and the other establishment offices coming under the Commissionerate.
Hence, a decision was taken to construct the new building in the space adjacent to the Band House, keeping Mysuru’s history and architecture in mind. Mr. Sood also recalled that he was the Managing Director of Karnataka State Police Housing Corporation when the foundation stone was laid for the construction of the new building to house the City Police Commissioner.
Though the new building was completed months ago, its inauguration was delayed due to legal hurdles. A public interest litigation against the building was pending in the High Court. The matter, however, was cleared in August 2020 and the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) issued a completion certificate for the building in September 2020, paving the way for the inauguration of the building.
Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who was present during the inauguration, appreciated the building for its magnificence, saying it surpassed not only the office of the Director General of Police in Bengaluru, but also offices of Ministers in the State capital.
A host of dignitaries including Deputy Chief Minister Govind Karjol, Minister in charge of Mysuru district S.T. Somashekar, MLAs S.A. Ramdas, Nagendra, Tanveer Sait, G.T. Deve Gowda, and Harsha Vardhan, besides MLC Dharma Sena, MP Pratap Simha, Mayor Tasneem, Mysuru Zilla Panchayat President Parimala Shyam and incumbent City Police Commissioner Chandragupta were present on the occasion.
