Four police stations in Mumbai will soon be relocated and repaired owing to the poor conditions they are in currently, and this comes years after requests were sent to the Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC), the Government Railway Police (GRP) to sanction the same. Officials from the concerned department have permitted renovation of stations at Wadala, Vasai Road, Kurla and Churchgate.
As per reports, the team from the railways department has begun working on the same and information regarding the same was officially given by GRP commissioner Quaiser Khalid to Hindustan Times. There are a total of 17 police stations in the area, of which, requests for the above-mentioned four were sent many years back.
For many years now, officials have been working in extremely dangerous situations as the police station is in dilapidated condition. As of now, the Wadala police station cannot accommodate more than 250 policemen. Sharing more information, the authorities informed that the station is located near the train stations, the decibel level faced is dangerous for humans every time the train stops or leaves the platform. Considering this, the proposal to relocate was made and was finally sanctioned in August 2022. A new space will be allocated 200 meters from Wadala station on the eastern side where a new structure will be built.
Similar issues are being faced by the officials at the Churchgate station and since it is in the dilapidated state, a new station was needed. Since it has been sanctioned now, the department will begin the work in December 2022, where another floor will be added to the ground floor structure
Kurla GRP is one of the busiest stations in Mumbai, however, it is danger due to the poor state of the ceiling which needs immediate repair. Since there is no place to shift the station, officials have sanctioned the proposal for repair work which was submitted last year. Sharing the details, Khalid told the publication. “If the police station was shifted out of Kurla railway station, it would have been difficult for the victims to lodge a complaint and created confusion. We would be shifting there in a few weeks until the repair work of the ceiling is done, and a new slab is put.”
Vasai GRP’s jurisdiction is extensive, and the current station is away from the railway station making it difficult for the citizens to reach the station on time or complain. Moreover, even officers are not able to reach on time, said the Senior Police Inspector, Sachin Ingavale. Since the office on Platform 1 of police station was small and structurally unsafe, officials were asked to move the station, and this relocation plan has made it difficult. Considering the same, a proposal was sent for a solution, sharing which, Ingavale told the publication, “We had a meeting with the MRVC who have agreed to shift the police station to a space in the East side of the railway station, but it would come up only when the plan to renovate the station kicks off. This might take time, however MRVC have agreed to grant the space of 5000 sq mt as per our request for providing a lock up, evidence room, detection room, station house and cabin for the senior police inspector.”
Reports state that the proposals for other station shave also been submitted and once approved, the offices at Asangaon, Badlapur, LTT Kurla Terminus and Bhayandar will also be repaired or renovated. However, owing to the unavailability of funds, the decision is not being taken now.
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