Chennai: The office building of the Joint Commissioner of Police (JCP) for the West Zone of Greater Chennai Police Commissionerate is all ready and needs to be handed over to the department soon, sources have said.
This comes as welcome news for the officials who worked in a dilapidated building opposite the bus terminus in Ambattur Industrial Estate for years.
The new office is located near the court on the Chennai-Tiruvallur High (CTH) Road in Ambattur and contains three storeys.
At present, the Greater Chennai Police Commissionerate is divided into four zones namely North, South, West and Central, with 12 police districts and around 140 police stations within its limits.
Each police district, on an average, covers at least nine police stations. Likewise, each JCP office comprises at least three police districts, with an average 30 police stations in its limits.
Of the four police zones, the West Zone is considered to be the second most crime infested region after north zone with areas like Athipet, Ayapakkam, Mannurpet, Oragadam, Pattaravakkam, Surapet, Thirunindravur and Tirumangalam.
“The new JCP office will be an integrated facility which coordinates with various police stations, including wings such as traffic and law and order,” sources stated.
The office is also equipped with CCTV cameras and the stretch along the building is also fitted with surveillance cameras for recording traffic violations.
Connectivity to the present JCP office is easier as it is located near the bus terminus. However, unlike other spots on the CTH Road, which have been widened a few years ago, the Ambattur Estate intersection has not been widened so far. A portion of the existing JCP office will be acquired as part of the widening work.
The building that has been built at a cost of Rs 3.2 crore by the Tamilnadu Police Housing Corporation (TNPHC), the nodal agency for any construction activity in the Police Department, also makes way for road widening works near the Industrial Estate, officials said.
“Many places alongside CTH Road were widened except for the Ambattur Estate intersection, where the old JCP office is. A portion of the old office is to be acquired as part of road widening work. The faster the office shift takes places, the quicker road works will start as well,” said an official asking for anonymity.
Residents welcome the new office for they get a sense of security that comes along with it as is it present at a key stretch.