Policemen move out of gutted Ice House station

CHENNAI: Almost seven months after a mob torched the Ice House police station during the pro-jallikattu protests, the law and order and crime wings are functioning out of a rented building on T P Koil Street in Triplicane.
On January 23, after the protest in support of the bull taming event turned violent, a group of people set fire to bikes outside the police station at the Besant Road-Triplicane High Road junction.The blaze soon engulfed the station, A woman head constable and a few other personnel managed to escape, but files and records were destroyed and a majority of the building rendered unfit for use.
The police personnel then shifted to a few rooms that were relatively safe before shifting to the rented premises where they say they feel a little comfortable but find it difficult to park vehicles and provide space for visitors and avoid traffic congestion.
The damaged building will be demolished and a new building constructed. A proposal has been sent to the Tamil Nadu Police Housing Corporation (TNPHC) and the Public Works Department. “We have urged officials to prepare a a detailed report as this is one of the oldest police stations in the city,” a senior police officer said. While home and finance departments will have to sanction approval, it will take at least a year to complete the construction after the paper work is completed, the officer said.
After the devastating fire in the January 23 incident, a team of officials conducted a thorough inspection of the building and also assessed its stability. In a report submitted recently to the officer concerned, they declared that the building was not safe to house a police station as it was almost completely damaged.