12 years on, Mumbai police rank-and-file await dream homes

Over 6000 Mumbai policemenrsquos desire to own a house has remained a pipedream for 11 years amid the shoddy working of the housing society formed for a dedicated township The issue has reached the Bombay High Court HC as the affected policemen have asked for a stay in the election for the housing society scheduled for October through a civil writ petition The Bombay HC on Wednesday directed the respondents to submit their replies The affected policemen include those between the ranks of constable and subinspectorsThe 120acre township land in Khalapur is in the name of the projectrsquos chief promoter a retired IPS officerThey have alleged discrepancies in the manner the interim chief promoter a retired IPS officer of the lsquoBrihanmumbai Police Sahakari Gruhnirman Sanstharsquo was allowed to make the voters list for the society election It is claimed that the Assistant Registrar of the Cooperation Department Khalapur overlooked the expulsion of the chief promoter and approved the voter list prepared by him The civil writ petition has also asked for a probe into the housing societyrsquos alleged malpractices and illegalitiesThe respondents include the additional chief secretary the Department of cooperatives Marketing and Textile the additional chief secretary department of home commissioner of cooperation the registrar of cooperative societies the chairmansecretary of the Brihanmumbai Police Cooperative Housing Society Ltd and six othersAlso read Maharashtra For damaging the environment Rs 184cr fine for Virar civic bodyAbout the townshipThe township was planned in 2011 to provide 10000 flats for policemen A police circular was issued in February 2012 for the purpose Advocate Siddharth Ingle who is representing the policemen said ldquoThe membership for the project was Rs 121100 It was increased to over R2 lakh and to over R3 lakh after 2020 The project was mooted by the then Mumbai police commissioner A senior IPS officer who was then the superintendent of police Raigad and is now retired was made the interim chief promoter to procure land in TembriVayaal village Khalapur Panvelrdquo Another retired IPS officer was in charge of the scrutiny committeeAdvocate Rashid Khan lead council appearing before Bombay HCOver 11100 police personnel applied for the membership and eventually 6771 members were shortlisted Each policeman was entitled to a 650 sqft 2BHK flat The township was to be spread across 120 acres The cost of the flats was Rs 10 lakh at the beginning and later went up to Rs 30 lakh ldquoAs per the 2012 police circular shortlisted members were to hand over the power of attorney in the name of the chief promoter who would procure the land for the project This move was unethicalrdquo said IngleZero progressA Mumbai police constable who did not wish to be identified said ldquoI have six to seven years of service left in the police department I still do not own a house I registered for the project in 2012 and paid Rs 121 lakh After 2019 when the society was formed we were asked to pay another R18 lakh with the claim that it was part of our instalment for housing loan procured through a nationalised bank We were asked told create an account with the bank and get the loan processed I borrowed money from my relatives to pay the society With no progress in the construction and the officials concerned not adhering to norms we had to approach the courtrdquoDiscrepancies ariseldquoEven as the land was procured in the name of the interim chief promotermdasha violation of the Maharashtra Cooperative Societies Act 1960mdashnothing happened on the ground It took seven years for the Brihanmumbai Police Sahakari Gruhnirman Sanstha to be registered and the land continues to be in the chief promoterrsquos namerdquo claimed Ingle ldquoThe land should have been procured in the name of the housing society The 712 property card of revenue department also reflects the interim chief promoter as the owner of 120 acres of landrdquo Ingle saidldquoWe got information that another 85guntha land is procured in the name of the retired IPS officer in charge of the scrutiny committee Hence we have requested for a probe by a highlevel committeerdquo said Ingle The civil writ petition has asked for the final voter list dated August 3 and prepared by the interim chief promoter and the executive committee of the society to be quashed The petition claims that the interim chief promoter prepared the voter list despite being expelled by the taluka cooperative election officer and assistant registrar cooperative societies Khalapur in an order in May this year The order appointed the Board of Authorised officers Brihanmumbai Police Cooperative Housing Society Ltd to take charge and prepare the voter listldquoHowever the interim chief promoter that is the retired IPS officer refused to hand over the office despite his expulsion over the faulty voter list and alleged misappropriations malpractices and lack of transparency The policemen who are the rightful members have thus approached the HCrdquo said Ingle Lead Counsel Advocate Rashid Khan who appeared in the case before the Bombay High Court said ldquoThe intention of the Brihanmumbai Police Sahakari Gruhnirman Sanstha is respectable but the functioning is questionable The present managing committee seems to have forgotten the primary goal of the society members have lost faith in themrdquoAttempts made to contact the retired IPS officers connected to the project did not yield any results2012Year circular for project was issued by Mumbai police