Delhi Police Seek Land From DU for Permanent Maurice Nagar Station
Delhi Police have written to Delhi University seeking land to construct a permanent building for the Maurice Nagar police station, located in DU’s North Campus near Miranda House and the Shri Ram College of Commerce. In at least two letters sent over the last three months, police officials warned that the current makeshift facility under a tin roof is crumbling and inadequate for the area's security needs.
The Maurice Nagar police station currently operates from a 944-square-yard temporary structure built in 2004, after moving from near Bonta Park where it had functioned since 1988. During recent rains, water seeped through the tin ceiling into rooms containing computers, creating risks of short circuits. The station's walls show damp patches and crumbling plaster, while wooden doors have chipped paint and missing sections.
Officers working at the site noted that the station is located adjacent to the Najafgarh drain, creating dangerous conditions when the drain fills up during the monsoon. Furthermore, the 15-room station lacks a designated waiting area, forcing visitors and complainants to sit on benches outside the main gate or on low boundary walls in the courtyard. Managing crowds becomes particularly difficult during Delhi University students' union elections and annual college festivals.
Police officials first approached the Land & Development Office under the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs for a new plot, but no suitable land was available. The matter was then taken up by police headquarters. In a letter dated June 24, the additional deputy commissioner of the land and building cell emphasized that a permanent building remains essential to ensure the safety of students, particularly women.
Earlier, on April 28, DCP (North) Raja Banthia also stressed the necessity of a permanent facility, despite the lease agreement for the existing land being extended for another ten years, running from June 14, 2024, to June 13, 2034.
Delhi Police officials stated that a committee was formed to identify potential land parcels and two locations were verbally communicated to university representatives. However, Delhi University Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Singh has not yet responded to the police department's written communications or requests for comment.
