Balasore: Even as Chandipur is considered most important among the 23 police stations in the district, locals are deprived of 24×7 police service at the police station, it was learnt.
People are not allowed to register their complaints at night as it is located on the premises of the Integrated Test Range (ITR), it is alleged.
Chandipur came into prominence after it was selected for artillery testing during the British rule. Apart from the testing centre, they had set up an outpost as fishing harbour at Balaramgadi is not far from the place.
Later, the establishment of the missile testing centre and the attraction of the beach made Chandipur one of the most important regions of the state.
The state government, in 1997, upgraded the outpost as a police station. While the outpost was out of the defence premises, it remained on the premises after the establishment of ITR.
At present, several important installations including ITR’ s testing centre, Proof and Experimental Establishment (PXE), a launching unit of ISRO, a technical unit of the Union defence ministry, IOCL depot and several panchayats come under this police station, increasing its importance for maintenance of law and order.
However, civilians of Gudu, Jaydev Kasba, Bardhanpur panchayats and many other regions are not allowed to the police station at night when they are in need of police assistance, locals alleged. The villagers are often made to wait till the morning to lodge their complaints, they claimed.
The matter has been raised on various forums and in the Assembly in the past. The government had even earmarked a site to shift the police station about 10 years back. But it is yet to come up due to lack of sincerity on the part of the administration, it is alleged.
IIC Rajendra Dash said the site finalised for the police station is a disputed land and the matter is sub-judice in the High Court. This may be a reason for which the construction work has been delayed, he added.
However, no complainant faces any problem at the police station, the IIC claimed. PNN
