Police officers and civic officials are currently looking for a suitable location for the Pimpri-Chinchwad Police Commissionerate and Police Headquarters. Till now, if local police failed to help, residents of Pimpri-Chinchwad had to travel 20-25 km to the Pune Police Commissionerate.
On March 22, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had announced in the State Assembly that the government had started the process for setting up a separate police commissionerate in Pimpri-Chinchwad — a demand made over a decade ago.
For the commissionerate, officials are looking for a centralised location. “We have inspected a few spots where the new building for the police commissionerate and the police headquarters could be established. We are looking at areas such as Pradhikaran, Punawale and Moshi where there is ample space for setting up the commissionerate and the police headquarters,” Municipal Commissioner Shravan Hardikar told Pune Newsline Wednesday. Hardikar added that no spot has been finalised.
Asked whether Bhosari MIDC was one of the areas the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) was looking at, Hardikar said, “Moshi, Bhosari MIDC and Nehru Nagar-Masulkar areas…are being considered. The problem with HA ground is that PCMC has reserved it for other purposes.”
Till a new office is constructed, the temporary office building is likely to be inaugurated on May 1, Maharashtra Day, he added.
Pune Police Commissioner Rashmi Shukla confirmed that the process for setting up a new police commissionerate and a police headquarter for Pimpri-Chinchwad has started. “We have already sent our proposal to the state government regarding setting up of the commissionerate, headquarters and requirement of manpower,” she said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 3) Ganesh Shinde said before the new building is set up, they are ready to shift to another building where the new police commissionerate could start functioning. “For this, we have suggested a part of PCNTDA office in Nigdi-Pradhikaran or ‘F’ office building of PCMC in Nigdi-Pradhikaran, a school in Chinchwad or space near D Y Patil college in Pimpri. As for the school in Chinchwad, it can be shifted to a new PCMC building nearby,” he said.
Shinde said the location near D Y Patil College will not be easily accessible. “Therefore, we would prefer the divisional office building, which is easily accessible to people, like in Nigdi,” he said.
He added that to set up a separate police commissionerate, the civic body needs a 10-acre plot, and 40 acres for the headquarters. He said the commissionerate will have two DCP zone offices. “The new police commissionerate will have a bigger jurisdiction, including Talegaon, Dehu Road, Alandi and even Chakan,” he said. Police officers said, at present, there were nine police stations in the area, while five — in Talegaon, Dehu Road, Alandi, Dighi and Chakan — will be set up. Talegaon, Alandi and Chakan do not come under Pimpri-Chinchwad’s jurisdiction, while parts of Dehu Road do. Dehu Road police currently work under the Pune Rural Police. Dighi, though, is part of Pimpri-Chinchwad.
The new commissionerate will require about 5,000 personnel. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Headquarters 2) Sheshrao Suryavanshi said, “They have already sent a fresh proposal to the state government regarding the manpower… So far, we don’t know if the government will recruit new staff or additional staff will be accommodated here.”
Police sources said the project would cost an estimated Rs 300 crore, which will include construction of the new buildings, manpower, infrastructure, vehicles and salaries.
Activist Maruti Bhapkar said the demand for setting up a separate police commissionerate was made more than 10 years ago. “The crime rate in Pimpri-Chinchwad and its surrounding areas has been soaring… The police, as of now, look ill-equipped to tackle the rising crime graph,” he said.
“Pimpri-Chinchwad has a population of around 20 lakh, which is rapidly growing. Therefore, the decision to set up a commissionerate makes sense,” he added.