Kodikunnil Suresh, MP, has submitted a formal request to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan demanding to resolve the severe infrastructure and staff shortages in Kollam Rural police district.
In his letter, the MP noted that although the Kollam Rural police district is entering its 16th year of existence since its formation in 2011, the policing infrastructure remains in a state of infancy due to persistent government neglect. “The district continues to struggle with a severe shortage of police stations, lack of personnel strength in the control room, and the absence of basic amenities like barracks for the District Headquarters (DHQ) company,” said the letter.
The MP highlighted a critical deficit of at least eight police stations within the district, noting that several proposals have remained on paper for decades. He urged the government to urgently establish new stations in Valakam, Kulakkada, Mynagappally, and Aryankavu. Furthermore, he called for the bifurcation of the heavily burdened Kundara, Pathanapuram, Anchal, and Pooyappally stations. According to Mr. Suresh, the failure to implement these changes has left the current stations overworked and unable to provide timely service to the public.
A major point of contention in the letter is the severe staffing crisis. Although a control room was sanctioned for the district, nearly 100 essential posts remain vacant. To manage daily operations, the department frequently diverts officers from local stations and the DHQ to the control room and for external duties, such as VVIP security, festival management, and Sabarimala duty. He says this constant drain on local manpower has effectively crippled criminal investigations at the station level, as the remaining officers are entirely consumed by routine law and order tasks.
In his appeal to the Chief Minister, Mr. Suresh demanded the immediate sanctioning of an additional DHQ company to boost the district’s force strength and the urgent construction of barracks. He added that only by filling the 100 vacant control room posts and expanding the number of stations can the Kollam Rural Police District finally function as a fully equipped, efficient law enforcement body.
Published – January 28, 2026 07:05 pm IST
