Harshini Brahmavar

Pics: Umesh Marpalli

Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (SP)

Udupi, Apr 6: When an accident happens on national highway 66 here, the first question that comes to mind is the limits of which police station the accident spot is located. Before calling the police station concerned, people have to conduct some research as the people living within the city municipal limits here are harassed because of the lack of clarity about the jurisdiction of the police stations.

As such, in case of emergencies, people are forced to go from one police station to the other.

Currently, two police stations serve Kinnimulky ward here. Considering the population of the area, a decision to open a police station here had been taken at a time when the city had not developed like it has now. The citizens are facing the problem of borders of different police stations the most. A part of Kinnimulky ward in the city falls within the city police station limits while the balance is located within Malpe station's jurisdiction.

76 Badagabettu has been allotted to the city police station here. Malpe police station has jurisdiction over half of Kadekar and Moodanidamboor areas. Likewise, some parts of Nairkere fall within Malpe station limits. One side of Bhagat Singh Road in Kinnimulky is served by Malpe station with the other side having been located within the city station limits.

A house in Kinnimulky falls in city station limits but another house next to it is in Malpe station limits. In case of emergent situations, citizens are made to move from place to place and people find it hard to get justice when they need it the most.

In case of railway police, they have guidelines about what they can do. Hence, local police have additional responsibility in that area. Not only citizens living near railway stations, but even the police have confusion about certain issues there. Sometimes people are forced to make enquiries as to which gram panchayat certain places are located. The police station limits had been fixed in the past based on revenue department survey when gram panchayats were in existence here. After the gram panchayats were merged and made into a municipality, these limits have not been revised or re-organised.

Even when there is confusion about the borders of different police stations, the police have, taking into account urgency of cases, the power and provision to register cases and then transfer them to the concerned police stations. They however tend to discourage such instances and see that the people go to specific police stations having jurisdiction over their areas.

Amrita Krishnamurthy, councillor representing Kinnimulky ward, confesses that the councillors including her had raised this topic two or three times at the council meetings. "We asked for fixing limits of Malpe police station by considering national highway as its border. Letter had been written to the deputy commissioner of the district seeking to identify police station limits afresh and mark the borders. She says that the problem remains unresolved as of now.

Areas like Padukere in the south, Kodibengre to the north, Kallianpur in the east, Kadekar, Kediyoor Kalmadi, Kemmannu etc fall within Malpe police station limits. At the same time, Santhekatte on the other side of Gopalpura, Ambagilu, Nittor etc are within the limits of the city police station here. At the same time, there is no clear guidelines about which police stations have to handle cases in Permpally, which is a part o Manipal, Karamballi, Manipal railway bridge etc.

In tune with popular demand, a proposal to delimit the police department borders and draw them afresh had been sent to the government. But assistant police superintendent of police says that there has not been any response for this request so far.

Iqbal Munna, a resident of Kinnimulky, says that the city police station is the nearest station for the residents in his area but rues the fact that even for matters concerning passport check, the people have to go to Malpe police station that is five kilometres away. He explains that this creates problems particularly for senior citizens and women. He has urged the district superintendent of police to evince interest in the issue and sort it out at the earliest.

The borders marked on the basis of population figures long back have remained as they were. The city has developed fast but the police station limits have not been changed. The department concerned should take up this issue with seriousness, hold discussions at the government level, and get approval for conducting demographical survey. In the past, for the convenience of the general public, some barricades were set up in the outskirts of the city mentioning about the police station limits ending there. But this cannot be a permanent solution to the nagging problem.