67 police stations still function outside official buildings

NEW DELHI: This year, the Delhi Police have promoted 26,054 police personnel to higher ranks to ameliorate the rot that had occurred in the lower levels of the police. However, despite the historic move, the police still grapple with inadequate infrastructure as they are left without buildings to operate from.

According to the data released by the Delhi Police during the annual press conference, it was found that just 125 police stations were operating out of official buildings compared to the total 192 police stations in Delhi.

The police personnel have to share their space with others as many police stations are operating out of rented premises, temporary structures, police posts and in some cases the premises of other police stations.

According to the official data, twelve police stations are currently being constructed. “There are 12 such police stations which are being constructed. The process of land acquisition for various police stations was completed in this year itself. We are sure that we will soon be operating out of those buildings,” said a police official.

“During the year 2016, as many as 13 major building projects were completed as a result of constant review and liaison work with the concerned executing agencies,” the official added.

The data has claimed that 16 police stations are operating out of police post buildings, 13 accommodations have been rented to Delhi Police and four police stations have to share their offices with other police stations.

Sources have also claimed that there is work to be done in augmenting the infrastructure of police posts as because of a lack of adequate space, police personnel have to work inside cramped spaces and have to also park the impounded vehicles on the roadside due to lack of space.

The police have also started the process for the construction of 4,856 quarters at Dheerpur, as it was found that the satisfaction level of the Delhi Police personnel is only 20.64 per cent. “At present, 1,943 staff quarters are under construction under Plan Head (Delhi Police Building Programme) Besides, 135 quarters are at final stages of mandatory clearance from local bodies,” said an official.

However, the situation is not that bleak as the police have slightly improved their previous year’s performance as out of a total of 184 police stations in Delhi, only 115 of them used function from regular buildings earlier.