Unlike last year where the Pune Rural Police had to work hard to recover the Rs 1 crore bandobast fee, the cops have played safe this time and have asked the organisers to clear bills after every match.
Wary of the experience that they had during the Indian Premier League (IPL) season last year, the Pune Rural Police has decided to play it safe this time. The cops have asked the organisers to pay the bandobast fee after every match that will be played at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium (MCA Stadium) — previously known as Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium.
Game on: The first match at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, previously known as the Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium, is scheduled to be held on April 7 between Pune Warriors India and Kings XI Punjab. File Pic
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During the last season of the IPL, the police had to struggle hard to haul out the Rs 1 crore bandobast fee from the Sahara Group. “Although the organisers had paid the entire amount, they are yet to pay the interest levied on the amount following the delay in the payment,” said Manojkumar Lohiya, SP of Pune Rural Police.u00a0
Lohiya said that during the last season, the organisers had demanded a bandobast of around 1,100 police personnel for the first match. “However, they thought that it would be for free. Before the second match we made it clear that they’ll have to pay for the service, following which they reduced the number of cops for the bandobast,” he said, adding that the organisers even requested the police to waive off the fees. “As it was a commercial event, we couldn’t provide any waiver on the billed amount,” he added.
The SP added that the police had to face a lot of difficulties to recover the dues. “After sending several reminders, they finally paid the bill,” he said.
Playing safe this time, the police have told the organisers to clear the bill after every match. “The police bandobast would be provided only after the organisers clear the bill for the previous match,” Lohiya said. He added that this year, the department has decided to depute 350-400 personnel — including deputy superintendent of police, additional SP and SP rank officers.
“We told the organisers this time that the security at the stadium could be managed by 350-400 cops. There would be no need for extra force, as the organisers have hired the services of private security agencies for security inside the stadium,” said Lohiya. Speaking about the security of the players, he said a police officer would be posted near the dressing room. Despite attempts, officials of the Sahara Group remained unavailable for comment.
Rs 40-50 L Amount that the police will earn this year during the IPLu00a0
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