Satyam has a police station in its name

HYDERABAD: On Friday morning, even as Satyam investors were waiting for the police and the goverment to act, it was just another day at ���Satyam Police Station' . Well, a police station on Medchal road which is technically Petbasheerabad police station sports the name of Raju's company on its board.

Even though the main entrance sports the name Petbasheerabad police station, engraved permanently on the pale yellow building surrounded by manicured lawns is 'Satyam Police Station' that proudly welcomes all its visitors . A swank building and unlike the dingy, smelly police stations that citizens are so familiar with, this police station has spacious interiors and a hut-shaped roof, giving it a bungalow like appearance.

Among locals, the Petbasheerabad police station, is better known as Satyam chowki. It is incidentally located opposite Byrraju Foundation , Raju's philanthropic venture. The police station comes under the jurisdiction of the Cyberabad police.

The residents of a nearby colony alleged that no charges against Satyam or Maytas are ever entertained in this station and claim that their complaints of land grabbing by Maytas have been ignored continuously by the officials . Officials denied this claim. Funded and constructed by Satyam, the police station started functioning in 2002. "The building was donated and constructed by Satyam and that is why it is named after the company," says G Surya Prakash Rao, DCP, Cyberabad.

However, many senior state officials wondered as to how a police station could be named after a private company. ������ It is most unexpected to have a private company's name on a police station as it sends a wrong message. Besides, police stations are set up by the government,'' said a senior official on condition of anonymity , adding that even if Raju funded it, why was the government bending backwards to give him credit for it.

However, Surya Prakash Rao says the name has been approved by the government and assures that it is completely legal. Officials working at the police station on Friday became defensive when asked why it was named after Satyam. They explained the police station was not exclusively devoted to Satyam and that all kinds of cases were registered here. They, however , did not think there was anything wrong with the name. ������ The cases we receive are the usual IPC cases of murders, road accidents, thefts and suicides,'' an official said.