Fearless cops sent scurrying by rain

First showers have made ceilings at Khar, Navghar police stations spring leaks, forcing cops to work in damp, soggy conditions

Fearless cops sent scurrying by rain

First showers have made ceilings at Khar, Navghar police stations spring leaks, forcing cops to work in damp, soggy conditions

WHILE the recent showers have brought welcome relief from the heat for ordinary Mumbaikars, they have only spelt trouble for the men in khaki, who are in no mood to celebrate yet.

The bouts of heavy rain since last week have caused the roofs of the Khar police station and the Navghar police station in Mulund to leak, forcing the policemen to work in wet, soggy conditions.

10 minutes of rainfall last Saturday caused the roof of the Khar police station to leak. The damaged switch board

Khar resident Vijay Gore, who was at the Khar police station during the first showers on Saturday, said, "It had rained for barely ten minutes when the roof over the station house room sprung a leak. Water began pouring down on the officer-in charge's desk and near the switch board."

Gore said it was a pity to see policemen working in such conditions. "The leak should be fixed by the government soon. Policemen shouldn't be treated this way. They live far away from their workplaces and if they can't even sit at their desks in peace, it'll only make them cranky," he added.

At Navghar police station in Mulund (E), MiD DAY reporters saw one ceiling which was about to spring a leak and another which had a gaping hole in it.

When it rains, water starts dripping onto the officers' heads from these places. At first, police officials were reluctant to talk about the issue but began to open up when they heard that their colleagues in other police stations were having to endure the same damp conditions.
u00a0
"The dripping was so bad within the first two days of the rains that we had to shift our computer from the room," said an official, on condition of anonymity.

Another senior officer from Navghar said, "This station was built and inaugurated by MHADA in 2001. Now, as you can see, there is a hole in the ceiling of the room where we keep our files.
u00a0
The rain may end up destroying the documents because we can't even shift them to the other room, which also has a pool of water. We can't keep shifting things around." "MHADA should repair the ceilings. We have already sent a letter to them about this," he added.

The Other Side
When contacted, Joint Commissioner (Administration) S P Yadav, said, "Repair work will begin
in these police stations immediately and the ceilings of other police stations will also be checked for leaks."