Commissionerate Police sits cool with rent arrears worth lakhs of rupees due to OSRTC
Asish Mehta
post news network
Bhubaneswar, Sept 30Orissa Police is sitting on arrears worth lakhs of rupees due to Orissa State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC) despite multiple reminders from the latter to clear the outstanding.
The case relates to hiring of two rooms of OSRTC at Bhubaneswar by then Khurda SP in 1997. The loss-making state transporter had let out two of its staff canteen rooms to district police to garner some extra revenue. The rent was fixed at `2990 per month.
The OSRTC officials told Orissa POST that Khurda SP office hired the two rooms February 2, 1997 to house ASP city office and a traffic outpost.
Khurda SP office kept the possession of the rooms from February, 1997 to December 2007, but never paid a pie despite receiving several reminders to this effect.
“The traffic outpost was then turned into traffic headquarters of the capital city after the commissionerate police was formed in 2008. The same rent was fixed for the commissionerate police but they too didn’t pay the amount,” a senior OSRTC official said.
“We are supposed to get `3,89,447 from Khurda SP office for the rooms which we had given them on rent. However, the latter has so far neither executed the agreement nor has given even a single month’s rent. The commissionerate police also has avoided giving us rent and as of now, its dues add up to `2,75,080. We have sent them multiple reminders to clear the dues, but to no avail,” he added.
Sources said the traffic police officials have forcibly occupied a large area of OSRTC parking place.
“Traffic police officials have occupied a large area of OSRTC parking place also. They use it for keeping seized vehicles. Fearing further encroachment by cops, the OSRTC officials had invited bids for the land close to the encroached area. Purnima Barik had emerged the highest bidder and the OSRTC signed an agreement with her December 24, 2014. The rent was fixed at `31,100 and Barik has been giving the rent from January, 2015,” they added.
Meanwhile, OSRTC general manager (administration) Saroj Kumar Patel told the newspaper that they would again send reminders to Khurda SP office and commissionerate police regarding the matter.
“We will soon send reminders to Khurda SP office and commissionerate police and ask them to clear the pending dues,” he said.
