HC seeks police response on plea against its booths on unapproved land, electricity meters

The Delhi High Court Friday sought response of the Delhi Police and BSES on a plea seeking guidelines for regulating police booths on approved land along with electricity and water connections.

The plea alleged that there are various police booths/ kiosks in Delhi which neither have metered electricity connection nor are constructed on approved land.

A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice C Hari Shankar, which has not issued a formal notice, asked the authorities to take instructions on the issue and listed the matter for further hearing on October 15.

The PIL filed by rights activist Bejon Kumar Misra sought comprehensive guidelines for regulating the construction of state police booths/ kiosks which have been erected in an "indiscriminate manner on encroached government/public land without having approved allotment and sanction of the land by its competent authorities", which reflects a poor image for departments like police.

 

The petition, filed by advocates Shashank Deo Sudhi and Bijender P Kumar, said such police booths do not have proper authorised electricity metered connections which reflects poorly on the image of police that it is illegally consuming electricity without making payment.

The petitioner said he has collected information through RTI that majority of police booths here do no have a proper electricity connection and have not been constructed on a legally allotted land and the police does not have a clear cut and transparent policy for regulation of the booths.

"It is also revealed from the replies of RTI that in Rohini district there are total 27 state police booths/ kiosks but there is no metered electricity connection and no land has been allotted for the purpose of construction of state police booths/kiosks.

"Similarly, in South East district there are total 55 state police booths/kiosks out of which only 28 electricity meters and for the rest can be easily assumed that they are illegally consuming the electricity without paying the electricity charges," the plea said.

The plea has also arrayed as parties Centre, Ministry of Home Affairs, Delhi Police Commissioner, Municipal Corporation of Delhi, BSES Rajdhani Power Limited, BSES Yamuna Power Limited and Delhi Development Authority.