26/11: Rs 50 crore, the actual expense spent on Kasab

Mumbai, Nov 22: Senior NCP leader RR Patil on Monday, Nov 21 had claimed that the state government have spent Rs 16 crore on Kasab.On the contrary, top brass and bureaucrats who are associated with the case claimed that close to Rs 48.75 crore has been expended on the jailed Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Amir Kasab, who is the main accused in the Mumbai 2008 terror attack.

"Prima facie, it appears that while arriving at the cost, the home department has not done its home work properly. From our estimates, the state government must have spent a minimum of Rs 50 crore to keep the Pakistani terrorist alive,'' said a senior official.

The Official pointed out that over eight crore was spent on the construction of a special cell in Arthur Road jail, then around Rs 1.5 crore was spent on building a special prison ward inside the J J Hospital. Both Home Minister Jayant Patil and Union Home Minister P Chidambaram personally handled the situation since they were concerned about Kasab's security.

"Since we were able to catch Kasab alive, we were able to establish that he belonged to Pakistan. Given that, we are really not concerned about the cost," said the official.

The expenses of security personnel deployed at Arthur Road was also calculated. The state had spent on the State Reserve Police Force companies deployed for his security. "It will be difficult to estimate the exact cost of security, but by rough estimates, it would be around Rs 3.5 lakh per day," he said.

Besides the security, the Home Department had spent Rs 1.5 crore on providing special vehicles for his safety. Special security was also provided to the public prosecutor Ujwal Nikam and the judge hearing the case.

"The entire area in and around Arthur Road is so secure that even if a rocket is launched, no damage will be caused either to the jail building or Kasab's cell," he said.

In addition, the home department is spending on the food and medicines of Kasab and a huge expenditure was incurred on legal fees. "In view of his poor health, a team of specialist doctors is examining him on a daily basis. We have ensured that he maintains good health," he added.

"Besides the fees of Nikam, the state government has paid fees to the counsels appearing for Kasab too. The total expenditure must be around Rs 13-15 lakh. In addition, the home department will be bearing the cost of litigation before the apex court," he said.

OneIndia News