Residents of Harola village raise objections to proposed police station

Local residents of Harola village near Sector 5 in Noida have raised objections to their community centre being converted to a new police station. They said that

Local residents of Harola village near Sector 5 in Noida have raised objections to their community centre being converted to a new police station. They said that if their request is not taken into consideration, they will approach senior officials.

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Earlier in 2019, the state government approved the building of a new police station for Gautam Budh Nagar, after which the Noida Authority had started mapping out the tentative spots for the station. Harola village was selected as the site for Phase-1 police station meant for sectors 1-16.Locals, however, alleged that their opinion was not taken into account before selection.

“On Saturday, senior police officials visited the community centre to inspect the site for the proposed station. There are so many open spaces where a new police station can be developed but for the people of three nearby villages of Harola, Jhundpura and Naya Baans, the community centre in the only place that can be used for celebrations. We do not want to lose it,” said Ved Pradhan, the Harola village head, adding that the entire community is against the proposed police station.

“We had a meeting of the locals yesterday. Everyone is of the same opinion. It took us a very long time to develop the community centre, which itself in the dire need of maintenance. Nonetheless, we are using it and want to continue to do so,” said Pradhan.Locals also alleged that they have informed senior officials of their displeasure and shall continue with their protests until suitable action is taken.

Police officials said that the visit to the area was simply a matter of routine inspection.“No place for the proposed police station has been finalised yet. It was only a routine inspection and no decision has been taken yet. Locals have expressed their concerns, which will be taken into account before any plans are finalised,” said Kumar Ranvijay Singh, additional deputy commissioner of police, Zone 1. Despite repeated attempts, Noida Authority officials could not be reached for comment.