Odisha To Have Tourist-Friendly Police Stations

Bhubaneswar: Ahead of the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup in January, the Odisha Government has chalked out plans to spruce up police stations and personnel to present a tourist-friendly image during the quadrennial championship.

A list of around 15 places which recorded visits by a large number of tourists in recent years has already been prepared by the state police as part of the plan. Police stations in these areas are proposed to be given a new look, reports said on Sunday.

Steps will be taken to bring about substantial improvement in the police stations located in these areas much before the upcoming world cup. “The aim is to present a tourist-friendly image of the state to the world during the event,” an official said.

Stating that the list will be submitted to the government for its nod, he said as soon as the approval is obtained, steps will be taken to augment the capacity of the police stations having jurisdiction over these places.

This apart, the officers posted in these police stations will be imparted appropriate training on behavioural skills to ensure that tourists visiting the state have a pleasant experience during their stay.

Among the places identified by the police is Sjree Jagannath Temple in Puri, sea beach in Puri, Konark and Lingaraj Temple in Bhubaneswar. Tourist cells are already operational at Sea Beach police station in Puri, Konark, Nanandankanan zoo, Dhauli Shanti Stupa, Lingaraj temple, Brahmagiri near Satapada, Gopalpur and Chandipur, sources said.

The Commissionerate Police, Bhubaneswar-Cuttack, has already urged the state government to increase the manpower strength at the tourist cells under its jurisdiction at Nandankanan, Dhauli and Lingaraj police stations, they added.