Efforts on to shift dist prison at the earliest: HM

Mangaluru: Home minister G Parameshwara said efforts are on to shift the district prison in Mangaluru to Bantwal taluk at the earliest. He was speaking after inaugurating 12 police quarters in Moodubidire and laying the foundation stone for 54 police quarters at Police Lane in Mangaluru on Tuesday.The minister said Rs 120 crore is required to complete the new prison project, of which Rs 50 crore is needed for constructing the compound wall. "Once the compound wall construction is completed, the prison can be shifted, as the barracks are already constructed. I inspected the new prison during my last visit. The remaining interior works can be taken up later. During the pre-budget meeting, I requested the chief minister to sanction funds to complete the prison project in Mangaluru, and I am confident the allocation will be approved," he said.
On mobile jammers affecting nearby residents, Parameshwara said the prison was witnessing frequent scuffles, necessitating strict monitoring. "I directed the technical team to regulate the jammer system so that it functions only within the prison premises," he said. He added that a decision on the future use of the existing prison premises will be taken after the relocation. "It could also be utilised as quarters for the police department," he said."The state govt will continue the Police Gruha scheme until 2030. When the scheme was launched, the unit cost per house was Rs 18 lakh, which has now increased to Rs 32 lakh. As only 40% of the planned quarters are completed so far, the govt decided to extend the scheme. I hope to sanction 100 quarters for Mangaluru next year. My dream is to provide housing for all 1.1 lakh police personnel serving in the state," he said.Achieving a drug-free Karnataka is a challenging task, Parameshwara said. He said that police are seizing drugs regularly. "If parents remain vigilant and monitoring of students continues, the drug menace can be contained," he said, and directed police to take strict action against drug-related offences.He said proposals for new police stations will be examined in accordance with established guidelines. He assured that new buildings would be sanctioned wherever necessary.The minister also expressed concern over the poor condition of boats used by the Coastal Security Police (CSP). "Of the 15 boats, only 3 to 4 are currently functional. I have requested funds to upgrade CSP infrastructure to strengthen sea surveillance," he said.Mangaluru City South MLA D Vedavyas Kamath urged the govt to sanction new buildings for the Kankanady police station, traffic police station and Mangaluru North police station.IGP (Western Range) Amit Singh, city police commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy CH and superintendent of police Arun K were present.