Across the state, a separate police cell is busy cracking down on land-grabbers, but, back in the state headquarters, a police station is paying rent to an individual who had encroached upon a government poramboke land.
Pallikaranai police have been paying `6,000 as rent for the last five years to Selvaraj of Saidapet for the 700 sq feet building that sits on the water body poramboke (eri poramboke). The police station was shifted from Pallikaranai main road to the present location in 2007.
Pointing out that the rent was paid through the city police commissionerate, Pallikaranai police inspector Arokiya Ravindran even said the landlord has demanded an upward revision of the rent.
The police station land, adjacent to which the encroacher has also constructed and rented out shops to a few others, falls under survey No. 303 of Pallikaranai revenue village.
The “land use map” of CMDA, available on its website, also confirmed that survey No. 303 is a water body.
Albeit admitting that the survey number comprises a vast area of eri poramboke, Pallikaranai village administrative officer Panneerselvam told Deccan Chronicle that only a fresh survey would confirm if the police station fell within the water body (poramboke) limit.
Senior revenue officials DC that they would order a probe and advise the jurisdiction assistant commissioner of police to stop paying the rent immediately if the police station was sitting on a water body.
Government sources said a new land has been identified for the police station at Medavakkam.