The Bombay high court on Wednesday asked the Maharashtra government to provide protection to the staff of toll collection contractor IRB Kolhapur Integrated Road Development Ltd in Kolhapur city, where mobs recently targeted its toll collection booths. The division bench of Justices V.M. Kanade and K.R. Shriram asked the government to provide the toll contractors with the security guards from the State Security Corporation. The issue as to who would pay a salary to the guards would be decided later, the judges said. The bench also asked the government to file a compliance report within two weeks. The company has moved the high court seeking, among other things, police security at nine toll booths in Kolhapur which were targeted by mobs recently to protest bad condition of roads. Opposition leaders have slammed the government over the condition of roads despite the toll-payment. Government pleader S.K. Shinde argued that the police force, already overburdened with usual law and order and investigation duties, would be hard-pressed to spare personnel for this job. Superintendent of police Vijaysingh Jadhav took the same stand in his affidavit. The government also pointed out that the police force would be engaged in bandobast duties during the coming Ganesh and Durga Puja festivals. However, advocate Shinde pointed out that in 2010 the state formed State Security Corporation to provide security (if required) to private entities, public sector firms, commercial establishments, etc, and IRB could approach this body for security personnel.
