Pune, 13th August 2026: Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar has sent a no-objection certificate (NOC) to the state Home Department for the proposed handover of the building housing the Faraskhana and Vishrambaug police stations to the Shrimant Dagdusheth Halwai Ganapati Trust.
The building is located next to the Dagdusheth Ganapati temple. The trust has sought additional space to expand the temple premises and improve facilities for devotees.
Kumar said the police would vacate the building and hand it over to the trust if directed by the state Home Department. However, the police stations would first have to be shifted to a new facility.
The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) owns a 751-sq-m plot near Mandai Metro station, where a new police building is proposed. The site can be developed with an FSI of 3.5.
The new facility could accommodate the Faraskhana and Vishrambaug police stations along with offices currently operating from the existing building, including those of the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone I), Additional Commissioner of Police and traffic police.
According to the police, the new building could be constructed either by the Maharashtra State Police Housing and Welfare Corporation or by the temple trust on the PMC-owned plot.
The present police building was constructed in 1976 and occupies about 863.7 sq m, with a built-up area of around 22,000 sq ft. Its ageing structure makes it difficult to add modern facilities such as elevators.
Vishrambaug is among Pune's oldest police stations. It began functioning during the British period and was originally located at Vishrambaug Wada before being shifted to its present premises in 1976.
The Dagdusheth Ganapati temple was originally located on Shivaji Road near Mazoor Adda. The site where the temple now stands was earlier occupied by a fire brigade station.
The fire brigade was later shifted near the Gadgil statue close to Shaniwarwada in the early 2000s. The land was subsequently used for expansion of the Dagdusheth Ganapati temple.
The proposed handover of the police building is therefore part of a larger effort to provide additional space around the temple, while the police department plans to shift its operations to a new, modern facility near Mandai Metro station.