The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Keeping intact the rich history behind them

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Aug 08, 2006

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Keeping intact the rich history behind them

Special Correspondent

A FACELIFT: The new-look Cubbon Park Police Station in Bangalore. — Photo: K. Murali Kumar

Bangalore: Several police stations in Bangalore have now gone hi-tech. They have been modernised with some keeping intact their early 20th century facades and architectural styles. The continuity with the past is considered good by city historians because many of these police stations have a history behind them.

The new Cubbon Park police station building inaugurated in July is an example. The police station, according to records, was originally built as a guardroom for the statue of Queen Victoria, Empress of India in 1906. A century later the new police station has opened its doors. It is the 25th in the city to be built under a public-private partnership. The United Breweries Group contributed Rs. 55 lakh for the construction and the State Bank of India gave Rs. 4 lakh for furniture and fittings.

The building has a huge visitors' hall as in police stations in the West. The waiting area is comfortably furnished and not intimidating to those it may be their first brush with the police. There is a conference room when teams can be briefed about a major crime-busting operation, restrooms for police personnel, separate rooms for storing records which will eventually be digitised and other rooms for arms and ammunition.

The crime section has the latest in computers and other hardware, and there is a safe room to lock up seized articles.

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