Agra tourist PS in a shambles

Darpan Singh, Agra

Irony could not be starker. This is the only police station in the whole of Agra which is supposed to deal with complaints of foreign tourists, but it is itself, like most of the other PSs in the Uttar Pradesh, grappling with problems which are too ‘local’ in nature. The staff can easily be seen struggling to deal with tourists; with hardly any resources at their disposal. The sight of a cop drowned in a dictionary while interacting with foreigners does not give one the typical feel of a PS.

The Agra Tourism Police Station was set up in haste on September 25 last year; a few days after two Japanese tourists were allegedly raped in a hotel under Tajganj police station of Agra resulting in a big controversy. The State DGP inaugurated it amid much promise after he and the Director General of Tourism came to the city to take stock of the situation arising out of the rape controversy. However, a visit to the PS reveals that it lacks some of the most basic infrastructure and the promise has not been kept.

There is no phone connection, not to speak of Internet/fax facilities. It is hard to understand as to how these cops source and send information related to foreigners and places located abroad during investigation. In the name of hospitality, it has hardly anything to boast of; even drinking water has to be arranged from nearby. Confirming these constraints, SHO Santosh Singh told HT, “A request for a phone connection had been made sometime back. Nothing has been done so far.”

According o Singh, the PS has to ‘generate its own resources’ when it comes to procuring refreshment for foreigners. He said, “They (the tourists) do not settle with anything less than packaged drinking water. Though there are no funds for these purposes, you have to arrange for it.” Lack of knowledge of foreign languages is another hurdle. Singh said, “Some staff from the Tourism Department do chip in, but that does not solve our problem entirely.” On his part, the SHO showed the visitors’ register in which he had been repeatedly thanked for cooperation.

Last month, Chief Minister Mayawati came to Agra and announced a package of Rs 5 crore for a new air conditioned building of the PS and other infrastructure at Tajganj Phase II. Land for the purpose has already been acquisitioned. A new building of Tajganj police station is also proposed there. Maps have been prepared and the budget passed, but construction, which will be done by the State Housing Board, is yet to start. When contacted by the HT on Thursday, the Agra DIG refused to admit that there was any problem at the PS. He said, “The PS is in the process of establishment. Even otherwise, the SSP office has all the necessary resources.”

Cops at the PS told this correspondent that the sanctioned strength of policemen (1 SHO, 3 SIs, 3 head constables and 14 constables) was not adequate as their area of jurisdiction was quite big. A cop said, “Any incident involving a foreigner, which takes place anywhere in Agra, has to be dealt with by us. It’s quite unmanageable for the current strength.” He said more out-posts should be set up under the PS to ease the pressure.

After the rape case, about 30 cases have been registered here so far. Of them, 25 have been disposed of and investigation is on in the rest five. A senior cop at PS said, “The district is quite big in area and foreigners tend to roam about till late in the night which, at times, leads to minor case.” He, however, said they could not be blamed for the same as this is what he came here for. According to him, special funds and basic infrastructure were a must to show hospitality and be friendly with tourist victims.