New areas under Bangalore police, but cops clueless

The city police will have additional areas under its jurisdiction as eight villages from Bannerghatta police station limits are under its ambit now. However, here’s the twist: the official notification in the gazette was issued on June 15, but there was no formal handing over of these areas’ jurisdiction. 

The police (South-East division) were in for a surprise on Saturday when revenue department authorities reached Gottigere — part of Bannerghatta police limits — to demolish a part of a resort on a four-and-a-half acre plot of land. The authorities moved in early on Saturday morning with earthmovers to clear a path for the aligning of the Peripheral Ring Road that connects the Bangalore-Mysore Expressway to Hosur Road. The road is being constructed by Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises (NICE).

“We had no inkling of the shifting of the jurisdiction of some eight
villages under Bannerghatta police station to South-East division, which has the bordering police station with Bangalore Rural district at Hulimavu. We had to rush reinforcements to Gottigere after the rural district police chief requested us,” said BNS Reddy, deputy commissioner of police (South-East division).

The demolition of the resort structures went ahead without any trouble. The incomplete stretch of the peripheral ring road will be completed once the buildings are demolished. For the past several years, NICE fought a court battle to seek approval for the demolition. Owing to litigation, vehicles heading towards Hosur found it difficult to move on the stretch, which was an open field.