Two years after it was built, the new Reserve Police Lines for Lucknow police — spread over 90 acres 15 kilometres from the city on Rae Bareli Road — wears a deserted look.

About 35 families of snake charmers have raised their hutments on the premises. They have broken a major section of the boundary wall on the rear to create a passage. Besides, doors, windows and water-taps have been pilfered from flats. Around Rs 40 lakh was spent to build the boundary wall alone.

The Police Lines with barracks, halls, mess, a huge parade ground and over 500 flats, was completed two years ago, but has since remained unused. The Sashastra Seema Bal had got two of their battalions stationed in two barracks. The rest of the facilities lie vacant.

“Ideally, the old Police Lines should be shifted to the new building, as the old one has no space left for the expansion,” said ADG (Law and Order) AK Jain. “But the shift does not appear feasible at present. Nobody is ready to shift as the place is far from the city.”

Lucknow Police Lines Reserve Inspector Awadhesh Kumar Pandey said: “Policemen prefer renting houses here to getting official accommodation there. But if the authorities can arrange for school buses for the children, many might shift.”

Jain said he has ordered that policemen posted at places close to the new police lines — Aashiana, Mohanlalganj and Cantonment — be allotted the flats there. He had got Rs 40 lakh sanctioned from the government to connect the Police Lines to the Rae Bareli Road a few months ago. Now, the PWD has completed the roads.

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