Vadodara to get its first Police Officers' Mess

VADODARA: Police officers, who are transferred to the city and end up staying in a hotel for the first few months, may take a sigh of relief. The city police department has renovated an abandoned staff quarter building as Police Officers' Mess near Police Bhavan, which will open next week.
The mess will provide lodging to such officers from the rank of police sub-inspector and above.Police commissioner E Radhakrishana had taken up the cause and prepped up 16 flats with a total capacity of 32 residents.
"The compound had been laying vacant for years and we decided to put it to some good use. The electricity and water supply to the flats had also been discontinued since long. There were some major repairs that had to be done to make habitable," Radhakrishana told TOI.
The sole building of with a ground-plus-three structure was painted anew with structural repairs done at various places. "The building has been restored to make it as good as new. The flats have been painted even as the water and electricity connections have been restored," he added.
This is the first such mess in the city and is a step towards making the city police department self-sufficient. "We understand that sometimes after transfers officers have to shift base very soon. In such situations they had to stay in hotels while we had a building that was not put into use. We are only trying to find ways of putting our properties to best use," he added.
Occupants of the mess will have to pay a nominal fee during their stay. "The rooms have been furnished with two beds each, thus one flat can be shared by two persons. Each resident will have to pay a daily rent of Rs 50. We have also set up well-equipped kitchen from where residents can avail to tea, coffee and light snacks during the day," the commissioner said.