Law and order under tin roof at Maurice Nagar’s police station

Maurice Nagar in north Delhi lies within the DU’s North Campus, just around 500 metres from Miranda House on one side and SRCC on another.

With the Maurice Nagar police station currently operating from under a tin roof with crumbling walls, Delhi Police is seeking land for the construction of a permanent structure and has written to Delhi University, which owns the land in the area, in this regard.

Operating from under a tin roof with crumbling walls, Delhi Police say the current makeshift structure of the Maurice Nagar police station is inadequate to deal with the growing security requirements in Delhi University’s North campus area. (RAJ K RAJ /HT PHOTO)

In at least two letters addressed to the vice-chancellor Yogesh Singh over the last three months, police have stressed that the current makeshift structures have become inadequate to deal with the growing security requirements in the university area.

They have not heard from DU so far. “A committee has been formed to identify the land parcel and inform the officials at DU. We had identified two places and informed them verbally, but they have not given an answer,” said an officer aware of the matter.

The DU VC did not respond to HT’s calls and messages for comment.

Maurice Nagar in north Delhi lies within the DU’s North Campus, just around 500 metres from Miranda House on one side and the Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) on another. It is, therefore, particularly familiar to students who approach the station for anything from lost phones to harassment in college to fights that break out during the university elections and annual festivals. Police also maintain law and order in the area and provides security outside colleges if asked for.

The structure still has a tin roof. On Tuesday, as it rained in the city, water seeped through places in the ceiling. Damp patches were visible in several walls, while others appeared to be crumbling. Sections were missing from many of the wooden doors that also had paint chipping.

The location of the station, adjacent to the Najafgarh drain, is “very dangerous, especially during the monsoon when the drain fills up,” one officer who has worked there for over three years told HT.

Operating from under a tin roof with crumbling walls, Delhi Police say the current makeshift structure of the Maurice Nagar police station is inadequate to deal with the growing security requirements in Delhi University’s North campus area. (RAJ K RAJ /HT PHOTO)

While the station has 15 rooms, it does not have a designated waiting area and complainants were forced to sit on benches outside the main gate. Others sat on the low boundary around the small open green patch in the courtyard.

“There is no space for complainants to sit. During the students’ union elections or annual festivals, it becomes difficult to manage the crowds,” the officer added.

A second officer who has worked here for two years said that the roof leaks during the monsoon. “There are computers in two rooms and the roof starts leaking when it rains. It can lead to short circuits,” said the officer.

According to an April 28 letter, the lease agreement between DU and the police for the existing structure was extended for another ten years from June 14, 2024, to June 13, 2034. Despite this, wrote DCP (north) Raja Banthia, “the requirement of a permanent building for Police Station Maurice Nagar remains essential, particularly in view of the increasing security needs of the area and the imperative to ensure safety and security of students, especially women, within the University campus”.

The communication, seen by HT, noted the land & development office (L&DO) under the Union ministry of housing and urban affairs had been approached first for the allotment of new land. However, there was no suitable plot available.

The matter was subsequently taken up by the police headquarters. In a letter dated June 24, the additional deputy commissioner (land and building cell) said the station was facing “great difficulty” and underlined that “the requirement of a permanent building for Police Station Maurice Nagar remains essential, particularly in view of the increasing security needs of the area and the imperative to ensure safety and security of students, especially women, within the University campus”.