A controversy has been surrounding the construction of the new Police Commissioner’s office in front of the existing one in Mysuru.
While councillors of Mysore City Corporation have taken exception for beginning the construction work without obtaining licence from the corporation, the Police Department, quoting the State Municipal Act, has said that there was no compulsion on the police to get prior permission to construct the new structure.
The new office is being constructed at a cost of Rs. 14 crore and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had laid the foundation stone some months ago.
After a heated discussion over the subject at a recent meeting, councillors had insisted that the corporation serve a notice to the department and direct the police to obtain a licence immediately for constructing the building. M.A. Saleem, Police Commissioner, told The Hindu that there was no rule under the Municipal Act to obtain licence from the corporation to construct the commissioner’s office. He asked why the corporation had kept quiet all these years when the department had constructed a number of police stations in Mysuru city. He said the department was constructing the office on its own land for which it had been paying tax over the years. Mr. Betsurmath told The Hindu that any person or department has to obtain prior licence from the corporation to build a structure in the corporation limits, which otherwise becomes illegal.
He said he would impress upon the police authorities to obtain a licence from the corporation and continue the construction work.
