Kasab's security costs govt over Rs 10 crore

Mumbai, May 24: The Indo-Tibetan Border police (ITBP) commandos have been guarding the lone surviving terrorist Ajmal Amir Kasab, at the Arthur road jail since his capture and conviction for the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks but it now appears this arrangement has come at a great price for the Maharashtra government.ITBP, with their sophisticated arms and communication devices are on guard 24/7 at the prison, helping the country's judiciary conduct a smooth and fair trial on their most high profile inmate. The ITBP has presented a bill of Rs 10 crore to the Maharashtra government, for the services rendered.The turn of events has left the officials from the government in a tizzy, owing to the astronomical figure quoted by the ITBP.In a move, which follows standard procedure, the ITBP forwarded a bill of Rs 10,87,12,041 as reimbursement for its services from March 28, 2009 to September 30, 2010.Usually whenever the Para-military is called into action, it is the State government, which has to pay the bills as Law and order is a state subject, an official source said.According to another source in Ministry, the state government has asked the ITBP for a waiver stating that the attack was on the country and not limited to the state.The state government, which has spent as much as Rs 6 crore on the construction of the special cell setup for Kasab, along with the expenses incurred for additional security and construction of the Special court.
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