SHO approaches court for removal of garbage within police station limits

A section in the CrPc empowers the police to do so

HYDERABAD: In an unheard of move, a police officer has filed a complaint in court against the Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (HMC) over garbage heaps and encroachments within his jurisdiction.

On the complaint of Munir Abbassi, the SHO of the Market police station in Hyderabad, the court issued on Thursday notices to the concerned municipal commissioner and taluka municipal officer and the HMC anti-encroachment assistant director for January 8.

"Piles of malodorous rubbish can be seen scattered on all the roads and localities in my jurisdiction. They create unbearable stench," SHO Abbassi informed the court.

The officer also pointed out encroachments by vendors, goods transport companies, public transport and restaurants, which besides clogging traffic, also affected the police patrol.

SHO Abbassi apprised the court that the district administration had time and again asked the goods transport companies to relocate from the densely populated areas in Heerabad, Tando Wali Muhammad and Market. "The companies aren't complying with the directives," the officer said.



The plea was filed by the officer under the Section 133 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPc). The law empowering the police to approach the court in such matters existed, however, police officers stopped using it a long time ago, SHO Abbassi said while talking to The Express Tribune.

The section allows the police to log a complaint in court, seeking removal of any nuisance like encroachment, solid waste, building construction material, falling trees and animals. A judicial officer is authorised by the law to order the removal of such unwanted things.

"I wanted to file a petition as a citizen but later a lawyer told me that a provision in the CrPC empowered the police to approach the court for removal of nuisance," SHO Abbassi said, adding that he took around 250 photographs of the roads and localities within the limits of his police station and submitted 48 of them in the court.