DAVANGERE: The state government has decided to establish a regional centre for home guards and civil defence personnel at Devarabelakere village in Harihar taluk of the district. It will be the second such centre in the state after Bengaluru.
The sources revealed that the centre will be set up on seven acres of land near Devarabelakere pick up dam.
The district administration has allotted land to the Karnataka Housing Board and the construction is expected to be completed in two years. A total of 15,000 home guards can be trained in one go.
The housing board has already taken up the construction of a compound wall and there are also plans to construct a small stadium.
The government has sanctioned Rs 1.8 crore for construction of buildings in the first phase.
The foundation stone for this training centre is likely to be laid this month. The centre would also include a fire brigade and other emergency services offices and training would also be provided for rescue operations during floods.
Arrangements would also be made at the Devarabelekere pick up dam for the purpose.
The authorities are planning to develop the training centre on the lines of the one in Kanpur, the sources added.
The government also has plans to utilise the services of home guards to arrest those involved in illegal sand extraction and deploy them at Bal Bhavans, ATMs and government hospitals.
