As mercury soars, it's cool to hang out at this police station

Since the start of summer several people have been visiting the Vishrantwadi police station on the Pune-Alandi road everyday. No, they are not there to lodge a complaint, but to satisfy their thirst, as the police station has kept a cold-water dispenser outside its doors.

For cab and autorickshaw drivers, bikers, students, pedestrians and people living in small shanties near the police station, the cold drinking water facility is a boon. Everyday, besides the police station staff and the people there to meet them, 400 to 500 people quench their thirst with the cold water available there.

Cool move by cops: People fill bottles u00a0 with cold water from the dispenser outside the Vishrantwadi police station. PIC/KRUNAL GOSAVI u00a0

"Earlier, there was just a normal water tap here and even then people used to come for water. One day I saw some people standing near the tap for water, and when I enquired whether they had come to the police station to register a complaint, one of them told me that he was an autorickshaw driver and had halted near the police station to fill water in his bottle," said Police Inspector P B Gophane of the Vishrantwadi police station.

The officer said that after cold-water dispenser was installed, more people began stopping at the police station.

"As it was the start of summer, we immediately directed our staff to install a cold-water dispenser with water purifier attached to it and we put up the facility outside the police station.

With that, commuters and people living in the vicinity started thronging the police station," Gophane said. "Nowadays, cold water facilities that used to be available at every nook and corner of the city and had been installed by some volunteers have vanished. So it gives us immense pleasure when the thirsty commuters, people living in small shanties and police station visitors are able to satisfy their thirst in this scorching heat."

Gophane said the police station staff has been instructed not to behave rudely with people coming for cold water.

"We have deployed a person who cleans the dispenser regularly," Gophane said.u00a0