Police posts to soon come up at all subways in Delhi

The move is expected to address two long-standing issues: shortage of designated space for police outposts and concerns over safety in pedestrian subways, many of which are poorly lit and sparsely used after dark.

The Public Works Department (PWD) is planning to set up police posts in all subways across the city, in an attempt to transform underutilised spaces like subways and land beneath flyovers into public facilities to improve safety and add utility.

Subways in Delhi face issues of vandalism, poor maintenance and security. (HT Archive)

Officials said the department has written to the Delhi Police and offered space for setting up police posts in all 50 subways in the city. The move is expected to address two long-standing issues: shortage of designated space for police outposts and concerns over safety in pedestrian subways, many of which are poorly lit and sparsely used after dark.

“This will help in ensuring safety and better monitoring of subways that are often left unattended. The police had earlier sought land for setting up posts, so this arrangement can solve both problems,” a senior PWD official said.

At present, several subways in the city, especially those along major roads such as Ring Road and Outer Ring Road, face issues of vandalism, poor maintenance and security. By integrating police posts within them, officials said the subways can once again become safe and accessible pedestrian routes.

“Most of the subways remain underutilised as people don’t feel safe using them. Often, these are occupied by miscreants who pose safety concerns for the public and also vandalise the infrastructure like spare parts of gates and handrails that we need to keep replacing. Also, since the subways are located along main roads, it will help the police to reach crime spots easily at least in cases of petty crimes such as theft, snatching, and accidents,” the official said.

Moreover, the department has also initiated an urban design plan to revamp areas under flyovers. The project, officials said, is part of a larger effort to optimise the use of public land and make urban spaces more functional and inclusive.

According to PWD officials, the department will soon appoint a consultant to prepare detailed project reports (DPRs) for turning the vacant areas under flyovers into usable public assets. A total of 93 flyovers across the city have been identified for the initiative.

The department will also coordinate with other civic agencies to ensure the proposed spaces under flyovers can accommodate facilities such as Ayushman Arogya clinics or offices of smaller government departments, officials explained.

“The project will be rolled out in phases once the DPRs are finalised and funds are allocated. For the police posts in subways, a formal response from Delhi Police is awaited, following which PWD will identify specific locations and prepare plans for the posts,” the official said.