99-yr-old police station building on verge of collapse

Ravinder Sood

Palampur, July 15

The Palampur police station building, which is 99 years old, has been awaiting renovation for the past 10 years. It is on the verge of collapse, but the authorities, it seem, are waiting for any untoward incident to happen.

The building was constructed by Britishers in 1919 after the 1905 Kangra earthquake that damaged several buildings in the town. The mud-missionary technique was used in the construction.

The building was declared as a heritage property by the government a few years ago. Since the authorities did not want to change the shape of the building, no funds were allocated for its repair and maintenance over these years.

According to experts, the building is unsafe and should be demolished at the earliest. Its external walls have developed major cracks. The dormitory rooms of constables have big holes. A storeroom had collapsed a few years ago. There is no proper place at the police station to store the seized items and even valuable items are to be kept in the open. Most of the record files have damaged owing to dampness and leaking of roofs.

The SHO’s residence, which was built in 1919, is also in a bad shape. Although the Kangra SP has sent several proposals to the government for the renovation of the building, nothing has been done in the last 10 years.