KARACHI: The Sindh Police succeeded in get the possession of its one petrol pump in Sukkur after twelve years, out of five petrol pumps throughout the province.
According to the Department’s official figures, out of total six petrol pumps of Sindh Police, one in Mirpurkhas is in possession of department and is nonfunctional, one in district Malir which is paying rent to the Department, one it got back from contractor after twelve years and the matters of remaining three properties (petrol pumps) are pending before the different courts of rent controller, without any proper pursing of the cases by the department.
These petrol pumps were rented out to different influential persons at different times without proper bidding process violating the rules and in most cases either department received only the initial amount of advance or opportunity was provided to contractors to file the civil suits against the department as to intact their possessions without increasing rent as per market value.
Official record further suggested that a petrol pump in Sukkur adjacent to Police headquarters had been in possession of a journalist for the last twelve years (May 2008) on the rent of Rs75,000 per month. Journalist deposited only Rs450,000 as advance and then did not pay a single rupee throughout twelve years due to his influence.
After the passage of twelve years, Sindh Police got its property vacated from the possession of said journalist.
Out of remaining four petrol stations, only one that is in district Malir, Karachi is directly paying rent of Rs3 lacs a month to the department.
All other pumps are still in the possession of influential persons including politicians, close relatives of senior police officers and journalists.
Police sources told The News that the department’s petrol pumps handed over to different influential persons without obtaining required bidding process on very concessional rates and then these contractors were given opportunity by the high-ups of department for the filling of the civil suits against the Department.
Resultantly, very nominal rent is being paid by the tenants of the petrol pumps situated in district East and West of Karachi and district Hyderabad in various rent controller courts.
On the other hand, sources added that the cases of these properties were also not perused properly in the courts by the department only to give benefit to contractors.
Petrol pump adjacent to Police Station (PS) New Town of Sindh Police whose rent of Rs185,000 a month has been deposited in rent controller court east since January 2017. Another petrol pump near Police Training College Saeedabad on main Hub river road is in possession of a political leader paying only Rs4,500 a month with 10 percent increase after every 5 years.
In Hyderabad near police lines, department’s petrol pump is in possession of a businessman said to be close relative of a senior police officer as he is paying only Rs120,000 a month.
