Mangalore Police move into their own office

Mangalore, January 28: After several postponements, the Mangalore City Police have finally entered their own full-fledged office, with a promise of better policing, in this rapidly developing Tire II city.

Inaugurating the newly built office of the Mangalore police Commissionerate – the youngest among four city police units in Karnataka after Bangalore, Mysore and Hubli, on Saturday, Chief Minister D V Sadanada Gowda said that the State government would give more importance for the overall development of this coastal city, which according to him was going to become the second Mumbai.

The Karnataka police Chief Shankar M Bidari, who was the chief guest of the event too acknowledged that Mangalore would stand equal to Mumabai by 2030 due to ecological and various other factors.

Presiding over the inaugural ceremony, Home Minister of Karnataka, R Ashok opined that presently Mangalore stood equal to Bangalore in terms of infrastructures. Moreover, this city has bestowed with a prominent port which Bangalore lacks, he said.

Mr Ashok lauded the Karnataka police for what he called their success in curbing down naxal activities across the state.

District-in-Charge Minister Krishna J Palemar, Higher education minister V S Acharya, Deputy Speaker of Karnataka Legislative Assemble N Yogesh Bhat, Mangalore MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, Bantwal MLA B Ramanath Rai, Inspector General of Police (Western Range) Pratap Reddy were among those present at the inaugural ceremony.

Constructed by Police Housing Corporation through Consolidated Construction Consortium Limited, Bangalore, the new office is a mix of modernity with a touch of the traditional. The Rs 5.08-crore building including the furnishing has retained old-day charm of typical construction in Mangalore with tiled roofing. A majestic looking spire facing the vast Nehru Maidan that emerges from the centre of the office with a huge clock adds to its beauty.

The Commissionerate, which came in to existence on January 26, 2010, had a temporary office so far at a reconverted guest house on the district police office premises that also has the office of Inspector-General of Police (Western Range).

The new office will house all sections of city police under one roof. Architectural design of the office has allowed for maximum utilisation of natural light and air. The offices of deputy commissioners of police (law and order, and crime and traffic), assistant commissioner of police (HQ), special branch, traffic management centre are housed in the new office. The new office also has an AC conference hall capable of seating 120 people, and a computer training centre for police personnel. The traffic system of the Commissionerate, from Ullal to Suratkal, too will be monitored at the same building.

The 22000 Sq. ft. building has come up in a record time of 17-months from the day then CM B S Yeddyurappa laid the foundation stone for it on August 23, 2010.

Head of the Mangalore Police Commissionerate Seemanth Kumar Singh expressing satisfaction with the way the building has shaped up, has promised that it would serve as the hub of people centric policing.

"We now have space where general public and our own staff can come for their various needs and not feel out of space for lack of space," he noted.