Mumbai: One last chance. Act or face penalty, says State Human Rights Commission

Traffic jam caused by Tulinj police station

The State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) has pulled up the representative of the additional chief secretary, Home Department, for "ignorance" in the matter concerning the Tulinj police station. The panel, which had taken suo motu note of mid-day's April 3 report, heard the matter on Monday. The police station in Nalasopara, built on a nullah, floods every monsoon and is cause for traffic snarls in the area, as highlighted by mid-day last month.

"Reporter Mr Diwakar Sharma reported about apathy and lethargic attitude on the part of the stakeholder department viz. Home Department and Public Works Department in Mantralaya, Mumbai for establishing a new police station at Tulinj which for years has been dealing with a stinking nullah flowing underneath," reads the document of the SHRC.

The situation around it

"Health issues and traffic jams resulting in hindrance to smooth working and day-to-day functioning by the police officers. It is therefore reported that, though police commissioner, Mira Bhayandar Vasai Virar (MBVV) Police Commissionerate was requested for relocation way back in 2021, who, in turn forwarded it to Mantralaya, but, till date no concrete steps have been taken," it adds. (SIC)

A division bench of SHRC Chairperson Justice K K Tated (retired) and member M A Sayeed, which heard the matter, said, "While on behalf of additional chief secretary (ACS), Home, section officer Narayan Mane appeared and submitted that he is in charge of another desk and in fact totally ignorant about the matter in question. "We are shocked the way the matter is dealt with by ACS (Home), who has not even bothered to go through our direction, nor bothered to depute a senior responsible officer with proper report.

"Such apathy only warrants an imposition of cost, but before taking such a stringent action, a final chance is given to the ACS (Home) to submit a proper detailed affidavit after conducting a fact-finding inquiry on all the critical issues reported in the news article," they stated. Senior inspector Shailendra Nagarkar of Tulinj police station represented the MBVV police.

The flooded Tulinj police station premises. Pics/Hanif Patel

Cops brace for rain again

Officers at Tulinj police station are worried about dealing with yet another monsoon, which is right around the corner. "It is going to create havoc once again. We have to do policing while wading in waist-deep water at the police station. We will have to shift computers, files and important documents to prevent damage during flooding. This hampers or delays our police work, especially criminal investigation," an officer told mid-day.

"If this building is demolished, the road will get wider and the traffic issues would be addressed to a certain extent," another officer said. "We are thankful to mid-day for highlighting our issue. With SHRC taking cognisance of the matter and the division bench noticing the red-tape bureaucracy, we are hopeful that this police station will be relocated. The babus must be punished for delaying the work," said an officer, requesting anonymity. When contacted, Mane said, "I will request the ACS (Home) to call a meeting and decide the next course of action."