In fact, say the policemen deployed at the Azad Nagar Police Station, only half-jokingly, the station has remained the same since it was set up in 1965. With paint peeling off its walls, its doors and windows rotting, chairs rusted, tarpaulins holding up a leaking roof and nine-hour daily power cuts, the station — that doesn’t even have a name board — can barely accommodate half its staff, present at any given time.
The communally sensitive town in Nashik district last saw a bomb attack in September 2006 when three bicycle bombs had exploded at Bada Kabristan and Mushaira Chowk on the occasion of Shab-e-Baraat.
“We are in charge of a sensitive area and are doing the best we can with the resources available to us,” says a stoic S J Patil, the Inspector in-charge of the station.
Shaken by Monday’s blast in Malegaon that left four Muslims dead, Additional Director-General of Police (Law and Order) Sanjeev Dayal said today that steps were being taken to improve the condition of the police stations. “We are aware that Azad Nagar, Ayesha Nagar and Kila police stations are in a poor condition. We have procured funds and new properties have been bought for these stations. Construction work needs to begin shortly.”
While the Azad Nagar police station is spread over an area of about 2,000 sq ft, it has only six small rooms. When power goes — for at least nine hours daily — the policemen have no option but to sweat it out. “We use an inverter to power all the lights and the single computer, but the fans do not work,” says Sub-Inspector S B Patil.
When it rains, it gets worse. Leaks in the old roof mean water drips onto documents and the precious solitary computer. In the evenings and night, the staff is left battling hordes of mosquitoes rather than fighting crime.
“We have put tarpaulin sheets below the ceiling. The...
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