Cuttack, May 18: Finding adequate land for constructing the Badambadi police station's new building is turning out to be a problem.

The current police station was set up at the Badambadi traffic square more than six years ago. Subsequently, in 2015, the authorities found the available space inadequate and planned to set up a new building to house the police station.

In the same year, land for the new building was identified at the adjoining bus terminus of Odisha State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC). The state government had provided a grant of Rs 40 lakh in the first phase for the new police station project in the 2016-17 financial year. But the project is hanging fire because the land provided for the new building is also inadequate.

Sources said the OSRTC had earmarked land within the bus terminus and through a letter a year ago had asked the Cuttack-Bhubaneswar police to take over the land. However, no construction has taken place on the land.

"Only 2,000sqft was provided and that is not enough space for the new building. So, we have urged the state transport department to provide a larger plot of land there," deputy commissioner of police Sanjeev Arora told The Telegraph today. "We have not received any positive response as yet."

Official sources said the impasse has been continuing for nearly a year now. Consequently, the Odisha Police Housing Corporation (OPHC) has not been able to prepare an estimate for construction of the building. The OPHC had reportedly refused to construct a new building for the police station on the provided land because it was of the opinion that the space was inadequate.

If the new building were constructed over 2,000sqft, the police station would neither be left with parking space, nor space for seized vehicles. The corporation had said at least 3,000 to 4,000sqft area was needed for the building.

"We cannot do much here and more land is not available at the identified site," said an OSRTC official.

With an inspector, two sub-inspectors, two assistant sub-inspectors, two havildars, 11 constables and a driver, the police station functions in a building on less than 1,500sqft.

"Parking police cars is a perpetual problem at the current site. Since we do not have space for seized vehicles, they are now left on the roadside outside the police station," a police official said. "Seized vehicles parked outside the police station for days together hinders traffic flow on the busy stretch," said Ajay Mohanty, a high court lawyer.