The new police commissionerate building in Bhubaneswar. Picture by Sanjib Mukherjee.

Bhubaneswar, March 27: Final touches are being given to the new Police Commissionerate Building, which will be inaugurated on the occasion of Utkal Divas on April 1.

“We have completed the multi-storeyed building within 18 months. Chief minister Naveen Patnaik will inaugurate it. The office of the commissioner will start functioning in the building within a week of its inauguration,” said Sudhansu Sarangi, chairman-cum managing director (CMD), Orissa Police Housing and Welfare Corporation.

Sarangi said the new building was spread over one lakh sqft and the run up to the inauguration was a race against time. At present, the police commissioner’s office is functioning in the annexe of the State Guest House.

The structure has a central dome and two mini domes with a Swiss clock set at the top. The architecture of the building follows the Victorian pattern. “Deciding the design was not easy. But we were certain that the building should have a distinct look. We have built it keeping the requirements of the police over the next 25 years in mind,” said Sarangi. On the top floor of the building will be located a modern control room, monitoring crime in the twin cities of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar.

“The modern control room will shift here from where it is at the moment. All the modern technology including CCTV has already been installed,” he said. As per the plan, there will be a public interface area and an auditorium for 200 police officers. “Earlier there was no place for briefing police officers. Now the police officers can interact with their seniors in the auditorium,” said Sarangi.

The buildings will use the five star energy efficient technology to lessen the consumption of power. This will be the second building in the city to use this technology after the Reserve Bank of India’s building.

As per the plan, the building will have a number of meetings halls besides office chambers for the director general of police (DGP), and commissioner of Police. There will also be a press conference hall and a courtroom. Parking facilities will also be available.

The state government established a police commissionerate under Section 4 of the Orissa Urban Police Act, 2003, for the twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack and their contiguous areas on January 1, 2008.