The police post at Mal Dhunga, the gateway to Baglung, has been operating out of a corrugated iron hut on the riverbank for the past two years.
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The police stationed around the clock at Baglung’s gateway, Maldhunga, are responsible for ensuring the safety of others. But they themselves are not safe.
For the past two years, the police post has been operating from a temporary shelter made of corrugated sheets on the bank of the river. Sitting on the banks of the raging Kali Gandaki, they are tasked with everything from vehicle inspections to crime control.
In the previous fiscal year, Baglung Municipality spent one million rupees to build a public toilet in Ward 1, Maldhunga. The hut of the police post, which was adjacent to the toilet construction site, was demolished. After that, there was an expectation that a new building would be constructed for the police. But even after two years, no new building has been built. Currently, the police post is still operating from the riverside shelter.
From this post at the district’s gateway, hundreds of vehicles traveling along the Mid-Hill Highway and Kali Gandaki Corridor are monitored. But the police providing security are themselves forced to stay in a temporary shelter. Due to land disputes, lack of budget, and lack of coordination among agencies, the construction of the post has been left in limbo.
Since four to five bodies are brought daily for cremation, the shelter was originally built to provide cover for mourners. Now, it has become the police post. The police are staying in a hut made of worn-out corrugated sheets. Standing at a bend by the roadside, traffic police conduct vehicle checks and document inspections. The flow and noise of the raging Kali Gandaki make it difficult to hear conversations inside the post. There is also a significant risk of riverbank erosion.
The police post in Maldhunga was established in 1994 (2051 BS) after regular vehicle operations began in Baglung. Since then, the post has been providing security services from a temporary hut near the Kali Gandaki bridge, but now it is without its own building.
Everyone from the district police chief to the chief district officer travels this route repeatedly. But the management of the post has not been prioritized. Locals say that if the post at the district’s gateway were well-organized and attractive, it would create a good first impression of the district.
The District Police Office has four permanent buildings for office and accommodation. But at the Maldhunga post, there is not even a place to shelter from the rain or sit in the sun. After the old hut was removed due to road standards and the construction of the public toilet, the police were forced to stay at the riverside shelter. The road has not been expanded, and if another bridge needs to be built in the future, the toilet may also have to be removed.
The Maldhunga police post has a sanctioned strength of 15 personnel, including a traffic checkpoint. Operating 24 hours a day, this post is considered very busy as it is at the junction of the Mid-Hill Highway and Kali Gandaki Corridor. From here, records of hundreds of vehicles are kept daily, inspections are conducted, and suspicious vehicles and individuals are monitored.
Under the leadership of a police sub-inspector, the officers cook, eat, and sleep at the riverside. There are also two traffic police positions here. In the past, strong winds would blow away the corrugated sheets of the old hut. Now, in the open shelter, they have to endure dust, mud, and rain while on duty.
The police say it is difficult to keep registers, records, and seized items safe. Since there is no separate room to hold detainees, they must be sent immediately to the District Police Office. They also complain that stray dogs left in the open cause additional problems.
According to the administration, the current police location falls within the land of Kalika Guthi and Laxminarayan Guthi, so a permanent building has not been constructed. Although letters have been sent to the Guthi to provide land, no response has been received, so the budget has not been allocated.
Former Guthi chairman Kumar Khadka said that lack of coordination between the police and local authorities has delayed land management. Last year, Baglung Municipality allocated one million rupees for the construction of the post, but since work did not begin, the budget was returned. According to government standards, four ropani of land is required for a police post, but that much land has not been made available.
Chief District Officer Krishna Prasad Acharya called the situation “extremely shameful.” “After our inspection, we showed it to the Chief Minister as well. A toilet has been built where the police building should be,” he said. “If the ministry provides the budget, we will immediately begin the construction process.” Superintendent of Police Fadindra Prasai said they have received assurances that the budget will be managed through Baglung Municipality by the provincial government.
Not only Maldhunga, but also the Area Police Office Bohoragaun, Police Post Bhimgithe, and Police Post Kharal, among other police structures in the district, are operating from temporary shelters. But Chief District Officer Acharya says that the compulsion to provide services under the open sky, right on the riverbank, is greatest at the Maldhunga police post.
