Special police battalion will be raised, says Karunanidhi

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu will raise a special police battalion at a cost of Rs. 16.52 crore, Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi informed the Assembly on Thursday.
The battalion would be located at Sundarampalli in Vellore district and it would replace four companies of the Central Reserve Police Force based there.
Officials later explained that the basing of the CRPF companies in Vellore meant that the State had to give the Centre about Rs. 17 crore annually towards expenses and maintenance of the companies. The cost of maintaining a battalion was roughly the same annually. Besides, the move would mean the creation of over a thousand jobs (including of ministerial staff).
Replying to the debate on the demands for grants for the Home, Prohibition and Excise Departments, Mr. Karunanidhi said that work on all 12 coastal police stations, 12 police outposts and 40 checkposts would be completed by this year-end. New police stations would be set up at the Melma junction (Tiruvannamalai), Pagandai junction (Cuddalore), Nallipalayam (Namakkal), Nolambur and Nazrethpet (Chennai), Reddiyar Chatram (Dindigul) and Kaanai (Villupuram).
Initially, Mr. Karunanidhi announced the setting up of six police stations at a cost of Rs. 3.2 crore. After he completed his reply, Congress Legislature Party leader D. Sudarsanam requested that Nazrethpet be included in the list. Mr. Karunanidhi acceded to the request.
He also announced the setting up of a Grade 1 police station at Oragadam, considering that industrial units were being set up in the area.
This would cost Rs. 1 crore. The nearby Sunguvar Chatram police station would be upgraded
Grade 1 station.

Upgrading stations
As many as 12 police outposts would be upgraded as Grade 5 police stations at a cost of Rs. 3.8 crore. There were 106 police outposts in the State.
Mr. Karunanidhi also announced that 15 police stations, ranging from Grade 5 to 2, would be upgraded. Of these, five would be upgraded to Grade 2 and the remaining 10, to Grade 1.
This year, 13 police stations (three in Coimbatore, four each in Tuticorin and Madurai and one each in Ramanathapuram and Tiruvannamalai) would get new buildings. Of the 1,432 police stations in the State, 284 were functioning from rented premises.
All police stations would start functioning from their own buildings in a phased manner, he said.
The Chief Minister added that he included 25 police stations in the list to be provided own buildings following representation from Ministers and members. If vacant government land was available in the areas suggested by the Ministers and members, new buildings would be provided.
Eight fire stations located in Tandrampattu, Omalur, Arani, Courtallam, Cumbum, Tiruthuraipoondi, Thakkalai and Ottanchatram, would get new buildings this year. Of the 282 fire stations in the State, 161 function out of their own buildings and 92 function out of rented premises. Another 30 operate out of semi-permanent buildings. The Government would provide all fire stations in the State own buildings in a phased manner, Mr. Karunanidhi said.