New building for Kopar Khairane police station only on paper

It has been 11 years since the Navi Mumbai police commissionerate sanctioned a separate police station for the Kopar Khairane node for its population of over one lakh.

However, the staff of the police station still work from a crumbling building which lacks the basic amenities.

The Kopar Khairane police station is being run from a rented building since 2008. The building is around 35 years old. Around 150 police personnel are posted at the police station

In 2009, the City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco) had allotted a plot for developing a new building for the police station.

The town planning agency had promised to develop a building on the allotted plot. However, the plot is still vacant.

Suryakant Jagdale, senior inspector, Kopar Khairane police station, said, “We have been following up the matter with Cidco officials for a long time. In a recent meeting, they informed us that they are ready with a plan of a two-storey building on the allotted plot.”

According to the police officers, the roof of the exiting premises leaks during heavy rain.

The on-duty officers cannot use most of the rooms during rain.

There is no separate changing rooms or washroom for women personnel.

“The police station does not have separate rooms for keeping our arms and ammunition. We have to keep those in a corner of the complainants’ room. There is no lock-up. We keep the arrested accused at the nearby Vashi and APMC police stations,” said a sub-inspector from the police station.

“The premises is so congested that even when we have to discuss something with our colleagues, we have to go out and talk. It gets worse when two complainants visit us at the same time,” said an assistant inspector from Kopar Khairane police station .

“We have to tell the second complainant to go and wait outside, till we take the complaint of the first one. This is how the staff are managing things for the past 11 years,” said the inspector.

A senior Cidco official said, “The plan for a two-storey building has been approved by Cidco. An amount of ₹2.14 crore has been allocated for it. We are waiting for an NOC from the fire department.”

When asked about the delays, he said, “We had initially planned a four-storey building on the allotted plot. According to the plan, apart from the police station, the new building would also accommodate a separate office of the traffic department and the RTO. The senior Cidco officers and the then police commissioner of Navi Mumbai, Hemant Nagrale, had finalised the plan.”

“However, some of our officers were transferred within a few days. When the new officers took charge, they did not like the idea of spending a lot of money on a four-storey building,” he said.

“They asked us to make a new plan of a two-storied building which would be only for the police station,” the official further said.

The Kopar Khairane node was under Turbhe police station till 2008. In view of increasing population, an independent police station was sanctioned that year.

Now, apart from Kopar Khairane, this police station takes care of a few sectors of the adjacent Ghansoli node.

The population of Kopar Khairane node would be close to two lakh.

First Published: Aug 09, 2019 10:39 IST