Mumbai: The clamour for speedily sending him
to the gallows notwithstanding, a staggering Rs 16 crore has
been shelled out for protecting the country's most high-
profile prisoner Ajmal Kasab.
Sentenced to death by the special anti-terror court,
Kasab, in his mid-20s, is lodged in a special cell in Arthur
Road jail, the construction of which alone cost the state
exchequer over Rs 5.24 crore.
"Besides Rs 5.24 crore that was spent on constructing the
special cell at the Arthur Road prison, Rs 26,953 was spent on
taking care of his medical needs," state Home Secretary Medha
Gadgil told.
A whopping Rs 10.87 crore was spent between March 28,
2009 and September 30, 2010 for providing him security cover
by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), she said.
However, after the state government received the bill for
Rs 10.87 crore to be paid towards deployment of ITBP, it wrote
to the Centre expressing its inability to make the payment,
saying Kasab's security was not Maharashtra's concern alone.
"The state government had written to the Centre asking it
to consider waiving the amount. We have not received any
communication so far. The issue remains unresolved," she said.
Gadgil said the expenditure does not include the legal
fees for the court case.
However, contrary to claims in the media by those
demanding Kasab's hanging without any further delay that the
Pakistani terrorist was being fed delicacies like biryani,
Gadgil said a modest Rs 27 per day was spent on providing him
food.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, November 22, 2011, 20:01