IPS officers break rules, let out Salt Lake flats

KOLKATA: Only the very privileged, or the very rich, can hope to get a plot of land in Salt Lake City. And for both the categories, the official government rate is Rs 14,000 per cottah, never mind the unofficial rate which goes up to Rs 8 lakh and higher. There was nothing unusual, therefore, when a group of eight IPS officers were allotted plots in 1999 from the chief minister’s quota.
They surely were not the first ones and possibly they will not be the last.The only catch, however, was that each one of them had to pledge that the plots would be used by the officers for their own residential purpose. Under the rules, they could not let out the houses built by them. But that is precisely what the officers have now been accused of doing.
All the eight flats in the building constructed by their housing cooperative society, have been let out to Salt Lake-based hospital Suraksha at a monthly rent of Rs 12,000 each. The officers themselves continue to live in either government accommodation or in other houses owned or rented by them. It is not an unusual practice and, as one of them angrily pointed out, there are hundreds of other senior government officers who have taken advantage of the state government’s generosity. But the Writers’ Buildings itself is agog with the controversy and people have started questioning the wisdom of allotting plots at throwaway prices to officials – one ADG, two IGs, a DIG and a SP among them – who are privileged enough to fend for themselves.
Suraksha hospital deputy superintendent Dr Joy Basu confirmed all eight flats at 85 EE, Sector II, Salt Lake had been taken by the hospital on rent. “A group of nurses attached to our hospital are staying there for about nine months now,� Basu said. “Why are you after us like a pack of hounds? There are over 250 flats owned by senior IAS and IPS officers in this city, all of which have been rented out in similar fashion. Why don’t you write a word about them ?� said police IG, B.G. Press, Sarvesh Chandra. An angry Chandra, whose flat in Konark Housing Cooperative has been reportedly rented to Suraksha, refused to comment when asked whether he had violated the law by renting out his flat obtained from the CM’s quota. Manoj Malaviya, special superintendent of police, CID, whose flat has also been rented to Suraksha, refused to comment. “This is my personal matter. I am not supposed to tell you anything,� he said.
Madhur Singh, director, Narcotics Control Bureau, R.K. Mohanty, ADG, Armed Police, Ramchandra Sharma, now retired, Virendra, SP, Murshidabad, Rajendra Pra-sad, DIG, BSF and Bhupinder Singh, IG, North Bengal, all of whose flats were rented to Suraksha, were not available for comment.
When contacted, deputy registrar, Kolkata Metropolitan Area Housing, Rampada Das, said he could not remember whether the eight senior officials had sought his permission before renting out their flats. “There are over 4,500 such cooperative societies. How do you expect me to remember all the details?� Das said. He also refused to check it out from the records in his office. “It is not my job to entertain every inquiry from the media. I have other important things to do,� he said.