Kolkata’s South West Police Division, commonly known as Behala division, is set to receive a new DCP office and police barracks at the S N Roy Road–James Long Sarani crossing, reducing the distance residents currently travel to Tollygunge for senior police services.
The new facility will serve Behala, Taratala, Parnasree, Sarsuna, Thakurpukur and Haridevpur police stations. Basic construction had begun earlier but was halted for multiple reasons. Work resumed in earnest in 2023, according to sources at Lalbazar, the headquarters of Kolkata Police.
Police have now floated tenders for installing eight CCTV cameras at the office. The tender process for furniture has been completed, and officials are aiming to inaugurate the facility between Diwali and Christmas, the sources said. The exact inauguration date has not been announced.
The new office is expected to bring the divisional administration closer to the area it serves. The present DCP office is located in Tollygunge, which technically falls under the South Suburban division. Police officials said locating the office at a central point in Behala would make it easier for residents to meet senior officers and access services. Residents of neighbourhoods such as Sarsuna currently have to travel to Tollygunge for such interactions.
The James Long Sarani Traffic Guard office is also at an advanced stage of construction, according to police sources. It will be shifted from the Taratala crossing to the new site. Once construction is completed, the divisional cyber cell will also move there, allowing residents to lodge cybercrime complaints closer to home.
The proposed barracks at the same location are intended to keep additional police personnel nearer to the division. Police officials said this could support quicker deployment and improve the ability of senior officers to reach incident locations in the southern fringes of the city. The area has a high population density compared with other parts of south Kolkata, creating continuing demands on police resources.
Police sources also said a proposal to bifurcate Haridevpur Police Station is under active consideration. Separate plans mentioned by the sources include a Rajdanga police station, to be created by bifurcating Kasba Police Station, and a Barisha police station. These proposals are part of a wider effort to create smaller police units and increase local police presence as residential growth expands across Kolkata’s southern edges.
The relocation of another senior police office has already taken place, with the DCP South Suburban, or Jadavpur, office shifting from Tollygunge to Moore Avenue. Police officials said the changes are intended to organise resources more effectively and respond to the needs of both established residents and people moving into the southern fringes of the city. The next stated milestone for the Behala facility is completion of the remaining work ahead of the proposed inauguration window.
