Mira-Bhayandar civic body says police owe Rs 11.28 crore rent, rejects Rs 5.20 crore bandobast bill

A dispute over money has begun between the Mira-Bhayandar, Vasai-Virar Police Commissionerate and the Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation. The corporation says the commissionerate owes it a total of Rs 11,28,77,000 as rent for buildings, police outposts and open spaces. The police, for their part, have demanded Rs 5.20 crore from the corporation as bandobast (security arrangement) charges. The corporation has rejected the police claim outright.

To settle the dispute and recover the dues, the corporation has placed a full proposal before the general body.

The background is that when the Mira-Bhayandar, Vasai-Virar Police Commissionerate was formed, the commissionerate and police stations initially had no premises of their own. The Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation therefore leased its buildings, reserved plots and open spaces to the police department. These included the main commissionerate at Shri Padmasagar Suriji Bhavan in Shantanagar, the deputy commissioner's office on reservation number 249, and the Navghar and Kashigaon police stations.

The total rent for the buildings was fixed at Rs 6.24 crore. Of this, the corporation has received only Rs 3.69 crore, and Rs 2,55,36,000 is still pending. In addition, rent of Rs 6,96,000 is outstanding for open spaces given at Mira Road, Ghodbunder and Kashigaon for keeping seized vehicles. Rent of Rs 10,22,000 for various police outposts has also not been paid. The corporation has likewise not recovered Rs 1,82,22,000 for furniture it bought for the commissionerate and the deputy commissioner's office. Adding these up, the corporation's proposal puts the figure at Rs 11,28,77,389.

The police had billed the corporation Rs 5,20,66,000 for action taken in the city against encroachments, hawkers and illegal construction, and for security provided during elections. Citing Section 483 of the Maharashtra Municipal Corporations Act and several High Court rulings, the corporation has flatly refused to pay. Its position is that maintaining law and order and providing security during the corporation's official action is the legal responsibility of the police, and that the corporation cannot be saddled with an additional burden for it.

Against this background, a proposal has been placed before the general body to recover the dues, to provide a new site for vehicles at Ghodbunder, and to hand over the reservation number 249 office to the police permanently. All eyes are now on what the elected representatives decide.