India’s new Goods and Services Tax has rendered octroi and naka s obsolete. Now that the checking by octroi officials will not happen — a de facto security check as well — the Mumbai Police have stepped up vigilance and posted additional personnel at all the erstwhile naka s, which are at the city’s entry and exit points, until a more permanent arrangement is put into place.
On watch list
Mumbai’s access points have always been on the police watch list, particularly after the city’s became a target for terror attacks. Before the introduction of GST, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation collected octroi from goods vehicles coming into the city, at the three main road entry points: near Mankhurd, and at Mulund and Dahisar. Octroi department staff would conduct regular and thorough checks of vehicles to detect attempts at octroi evasion. If they spotted suspicious cargo, or persons, they would report it to the police for further verification.
Police Commissioner D.D. Padsalgikar said the Mumbai Police had written to the Home Department a month ago, seeking a permanent solution to the issue, including suggesting that police chowkies or check posts be created at the sites of the naka s, and the proposal is under consideration by the government.
In the interim, Padsalgikar said, “We have increased bandobast at the entry and exit points in the city. This includes extra personnel from concerned police stations as well as mobile units. They have been instructed to check vehicles for any suspicious persons or any contraband.”
The Mumbai police have also worked out arrangements with their counterparts in the adjacent Thane and Thane Rural jurisdictions, seeking their cooperation in screening vehicles, so that the workload may be equally distributed.
