‘It’s impossible to live here,with leaking roofs’

The Shivajinagar Police Colony hasn’t been repaired for the last eight years despite promises from top police officers,including Police Commissioner Meeran Borwankar. The leaking roofs,tattered floor,broken doors and windows,poor drainage system have made lives of police families here miserable. “During monsoon,it becomes almost impossible to live here as roofs of almost all the quarters leak,” said a constable who is living here for the last 24 years. “I have to keep pots at places in the rooms to collect the leaking water and things in the kitchen need to be covered as sheaths of cement keep falling,” said his wife.

According to the cops,every time they bring this to the notice of higher authorities they are told that the present quarters which are in a dilapidated condition would be demolished to make way for new quarters. Cops said the promise was made many years ago but it is still to become a realityand the plan of a new building has stopped the renovation that earlier used to happen regularly.

“Though renovation has stopped since long,Rs 100 is being deducted every month from our salaries as maintenance charges for the quarters besides the deduction of residential allowance of Rs 2,400 every month,” said another constable who joined the service in 2008.

A few months ago when Borwankar visited the Colony,many angry housewives met her and brought the condition to her notice. “We took her inside and showed her the houses. She promised to look into the matter and solve the problem but nothing has happened yet.”

Joint Commissioner of Police Sanjeev Kumar Singhal said the proposal to repair the quarters is prepared every year which is then approved by the Home Ministry and then implemented through Public Works Department. “As far as I know,Shivajinagar Police colony was repaired two years ago but the Ministry didn’t approve the proposal last year. This year it will be repaired soon,” said Singhal.