Capital cops work out of milk centre : Outposts in existing buildings as police border firms up

By U Sudhakar Reddy

The capital region is getting seeded with its first police stations — only these are in the oddest places possible. Police outposts have been set up at a bus station and a milk collection centre, and a pound for stray cattle is next on the list.

These outposts will be upgraded into police stations, dividing the Tullur police station area into three jurisdictions. The outposts were set up hurriedly following incidents of arson in villages that are opposed to the land pooling scheme.

But not all locals are happy. The Capital Regional Development Authority said that it has rights over the pound to house stray (bandhila doddi) in Penumaka near Undavalli in Guntur district and handed it over to the cops.

Local resident K. Satyanarayana said, “Panchayat officials said the cattle pound was transferred to the CRDA which in turn gave it to cops. We have now no place to keep the stray cows. They have rejected the proposal to take over the electricity bill payment centre.”

A police outpost has already started functioning from a milk collection centre at Mandadam. Inspector B. Srinivasa Rao, who is on deputation to probe the arson attacks, said, “We have nothing to do with land pooling. We are focused on checking the vehicles passing through these roads.” Portions of an RTC bus station have also been taken over for a police outpost.