Mumbai/Nagpur: In a surprising move that has raised eyebrows, the State Government has decided to reduce the fees for providing police security, known as police bandobast, during cricket matches held by rich organizations. This decision, which comes after a gap of six years, has sparked controversy and drawn attention to the alleged preferential treatment given to these organizations. Reports from various media sources suggest that the reduction in fees ranges from Rs 35 lakh to Rs 60 lakh.
According to the media reports, the State Government has offered significant concessions to cricket organizations, a decision that had not been made since 2018-19. Typically, the police bandobast fees are announced in June each year. However, during the previous two years due to the ongoing Corona pandemic, no changes were made to the fee structure.
Instead of reducing the fees, the State Government should have increased them, considering the substantial revenues generated by cricket organizations. In the year 2017-18, the government had established a uniform slab rate for providing police security during IPL and One Day International (ODI) games. The decision to reduce the fees now seems contradictory to the revenue-generating potential of these matches.
The police bandobast rate:
Year 16-17 18-19 20-24
T-20 Rs 66 lakh Rs 70 lakh Rs 10 lakh
ODI Rs 66 lakh Rs 75 lakh Rs 25 lakh
Test Rs 55 lakh Rs 60 lakh Rs 25 lakh
The police bandobast rate for Nagpur, Pune, Navi Mumbai:
Year 2016-17 2018-19
T-20 Rs 44 lakh Rs 50 lakh
ODI Rs 44 lakh Rs 50 lakh
Test Rs 38-50 lakh Rs 40 lakh
