Ambalapuzha: The first child-friendly police station in Alappuzha district is now ready at Punnapra to welcome the little guests. Toys, cradle and colourful wall paintings were installed in a special room attached to the Punnapra police station building along with a play area in the station compound.
The facility is not exclusive to children accompanying adults arriving at the station to file complaints and kids from outside can access it.
The improvements have been made to raise Punnapra station, which is located right beside the national highway, to the status of a model police station. Punnapra already enjoys the distinction of being the station where DGP Loknath Behera worked back in 1987 as a probationer.
As part of the renovation programme, the entrance and compound wall of the station have been rebuilt. New grills have been installed in front of the building. A children’s park, help desk for women and the elderly, counselling centre and a separate wash room for the differently-abled are also arranged.
Future projects include the construction of a Janamaithri hall at a cost of Rs 10 lakh and installing a bust of Mahatma Gandhi on the station premises. Meanwhile, work is going on to convert Alappuzha North and Cherthala also into child-friendly police stations.