PIL alleges fraud in police housing societies, HC seeks reply

Three housing societies today sought time from Bombay High Court to file their reply to a PIL alleging that six plots of land, on which they stood, were originally reserved for policemen but allegedly fraudulently allotted to a group of legislators and bureaucrats.
A bench, headed by Justice P V Hardas, gave two weeks time to 'Sukhada', 'Shubada' and 'Poorna' cooperative housing societies located in Worli Sagar complex in Central Mumbai.
The court had earlier issued notices to these societies while hearing the PIL which sought a CID probe into the alleged fraudulent allotment of the six plots at Worli Sagar complex to MLAs and bureaucrats.

The PIL, filed by journalist Ketan Tirodkar, relies on a reply by state Home department to a query under the Right to Information.
In 1988, the state had acquired six plots in Worli Sagar Society in central Mumbai's Worli area, in lieu of another piece of land in suburban Andheri for police housing.
The Worli Sagar land was originally meant for police personnel, Tirodkar argued and alleged the land admeasuring 48,560 square metres at Ambivali in Andheri was never handed over to police for housing constables.
He prayed that the Director General of Police (Housing) be directed to evacuate the buildings standing on the plots in Worli Sagar Society, and allot the tenements to lower-rank policemen on the basis of seniority.

Constables work under difficult conditions, such as low salaries, long duty-hours, poor housing facilities, etc, and therefore they should be given priority in such benefits, the PIL contended.