Policemen to get 2,476 flats near Chembur refinery

In a unique windfall for the Mumbai police, its officers are set to get 2,476 flats in 10 buildings near Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) refinery located in Mahul Chembur.

In a unique windfall for the Mumbai police, its officers are set to get 2,476 flats in 10 buildings near Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) refinery located in Mahul Chembur.

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The police housing is meant to create a protective cover around the high-security facility, after the refinery lost a legal bid to prevent the construction of 78 buildings in its vicinity under the Slum Rehabilitation Scheme (SRA) for those displaced by the civic body’s Brimstowad project.

“The tenements, measuring 225 square feet, will be handed over to the department by the chief minister soon,” said Quaiser Khalid, additional commissioner of police, east region.

BPCL and the Mumbai police had objected to the construction near the refinery citing security threats. BPCL, which is a highsecurity zone, was one of the initial targets of the 1993 bombers.

“As there were security concerns, it was decided that 10 buildings facing the refinery will be handed over to the Mumba police, while the rest will be allotted to the project-affected people,” Khalid said.

A senior police officer from RCF police station, under whose jurisdiction the refinery falls, said “There is a road that separates the SRA scheme and the BPCL compound, and we will maintain a strict vigil.

There will be a chowky as well to keep a watch The flats are likely to be handed over to the force on July 23.”