Finally, the newly created Mira Bhayandar Vasai Virar (MBVV) Commissionerate received the nod for the building to operate. However, nothing comes free, the Home Ministry has to pay Rs. 27 lakhs per annum for two years as rent to the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC). The MBMC cleared the hurdles for the MBVV headquarters after a prolonged meeting headed by Mayor Jyotsana Hasnale.
MBMC has decided to give its divisional office in Ram Nagar area to the government on rent for two years. So, the newly appointed commissioner Sadanand Date can have a proper office to operate a day-to-day function. However, the ministry has to pay Rs 27 lakhs annually for ground plus 3 floored building admeasuring 31,234 sq.ft in the Shanti Garden area of Ram Nagar.
At present, the ground plus three-storey building has six offices for the Housing Society Registrar, Revenue Department, Voters’ registration, Recreation Room for Senior Citizens and Library for students along with Divisional Office of MBMC.
Mayor’s take
However, the Mayor assured that MBMC will clear the building within a fortnight for Commissionerate. “The Government has passed the GR for the formation of the new Commissionerate in July 2019. However, the state government did nothing to zero-in on the office for the Commissionerate for six months. Later, the lockdown was announced. The government should have acted swiftly after passing the GR,“ said Hasnale.
Notably, the committee which had been constituted in January this year to take a final call on provisional arrangements for the policing system met for the first time in eight months.
“If the state government had informed us in advance, we could have finalised the office before his appointment,” said the Mayor.
“Since a senior officer had been operating out of police stations, we immediately called a meeting with our officials on Monday and decided that the Mira Road building will be converted into the commissioner’s office,” she added.
Commissioner’s take
“We look forward to the completion of the formalities and basic works completed. We prioritise to start functioning of the MBVV headquarters from the premises at the earliest,” said IPS Sadanand Date, newly designated Commissioner of MBVV.
Date said, “I have been meeting officers in Vasai-Virar and Mira-Bhayandar areas for the past couple of days. The office will be on Mira Road and soon I’ll be operating from there.”
Till now, the Mira-Bhayandar stretch fell under the Thane (Rural) Police while Vasai-Virar works under Palghar Police.
The Mira Road location is ideal because of its proximity to Thane and Palghar districts. The new MBVV headquarter will be near the Western Express Highway. So, it will easily reachable by Vasai-Virar as well as Mira Bhayandar’s people.
MBMC Mayor Jyptsana Hasnale headed the meeting. MBMC Commissioner Dr Vijay Rathod, Deputy Mayor- Hasmukh Gehlot, Deputy SP Dr Shashikant Bhosale were present in the meeting. However, City Engineer- Shivaji Barkund, Executive Engineer- Deepak Khambit and group leaders of political parties registered their presence.