The Manikpur police station, which has been operating from a rented property in Moti Niwas co-operative housing society for nearly three decades, has not paid a single rupee to the owner of the property. The unpaid rent today stands at over ₹2 crore while the maintenance charges in arrears is ₹28 lakh.
The police department has been using the ground floor space – comprising six rooms – since 1993 for the station.
According to the landlord, Nayan Nandkumar Jain, his father and grandfather had agreed to give the six commercial tenements – galas, spread across 2,027 square feet — to the police department for a period of six months in 1993 as a goodwill gesture, on verbal commitment.
However, after six months, the police refused to move out. The 24-year-old, who runs his fast-food joint, Rolls on Coals, from rented premises rather than his own property which remained in police possession, said that the police officials had promised his father housing rent as per the government-approved rate, but failed to pay anything.
“We have been writing letters to the police department to vacate the property or at least settle the maintenance bill (of ₹28 lakhs) but all our cries have fallen on deaf ears,” said Nayan.
The six galas are owned by Jain’s father, his grandmother Shantibai, his father’s brother, Pravinkumar and Pravinkumar’s wife Omlata.
“We had given the property for a social cause but we are being mentally harassed now. The police station premises will be vacated soon and we would get possession but the society has refused to give us the share certificates unless we clear the maintenance dues of ₹28 lakhs,” added Nayan.
He said that after getting possession, he will ask for compensation from the government, but as of now he only wants the maintenance to be settled or paid first and the condition of the galas to be restored.
Nayan said he had been approaching senior police officers and even the commissioner of police, but did not get any response so far. “The commissioner at least spoke to the municipal commissioner and got the property tax settled but has been silent on the maintenance,” he said.
Apart from not being able to maintain the property, Nayan claimed that the police use the park meant for residents to dump vehicles seized by them or involved in accidents. “Police have not been clearing the mess for years. The lock-up is also situated inside the police premises which is dangerous for the residents of the building,” said Nayan.
When contacted Sanjay Patil, deputy commissioner of police Vasai, said that the new police station premises are almost ready, where they would be shifting in the next fortnight. “We are aware that the police station was functioning from a rented property. After studying the entire issue, we will talk to the housing society and try to sort this (the issue of pending dues of the owner and the society maintenance charges) out,” said Patil.