When it comes to renting vehicles, Delhi Police apparently doesn't drive a hard bargain.

The department's data show it has spent Rs 300 crore to hire 400 cars in the past six years, when it could have purchased about 2,800 vehicles with the same amount.

The revelation comes amid reports of the city police fighting staff and fund crunch.

Mail Today has a copy of the RTI documents that show Delhi Police paid Rs 295.66 crore to rent 350 Gypsies and 50 SUVs between January 2010 and March 2016

A study by voluntary organisation Praja Foundation said last month that the number of cops working in different districts in the Capital is less than the sanctioned strength, with the shortage ranging anywhere between 45 and 545.

Mail Today has a copy of the RTI documents that show Delhi Police paid Rs 295.66 crore to Jay Pee and Co (WZ-424, Raj Nagar, Palam Colony) to rent 350 Gypsies and 50 SUVs between January 2010 and March 2016.

Criticising the move, automobile experts wishing anonymity said: 'With this amount the government and police officials could have bought 2,800 SUVs, or purchased 400 SUVs for Rs 50 crore and spent the rest on other programmes.'

Apart from this, the department paid Rs 37.22 crore in the form of rent to other companies for using buses, mini buses and CNG LCV/ Tata 407 in the same period.

According to the data available, Rs 2.06 crore was paid to M/S Sneh Tourist Corporation for 40 Buses.

When Mail Today contacted senior Delhi Police officials and apprised them of the situation, they said they 'are not the authority concerned to speak on it'. (picture for representation)

M/s Narbada Travels was paid Rs 42. 93 lakh as the rent for 10 minibuses.

M/s G.T Roadways, M/s Rajendar Singh, and M/s Makhan Singh received Rs 91.08 lakh for 23 CNG LCV/Tata 407 that were hired.

When Mail Today contacted senior Delhi Police officials and apprised them of the situation, they said they 'are not the authority concerned to speak on it'.

The department has also deployed 82 private cranes with capacity ranging between 1.4 tonnes and 2.3 tonnes as well as 52 small cranes with lifting capacity up to 2 tonnes in various traffic circles for towing and lifting vehicles parked illegally.

Delhi Police is paying Rs 3,600 per day for each large crane and Rs 2,100 a day for each small one.

'The huge amount spent by Delhi Police to rent vehicles raises question on why the force did not buy its own vehicles with that amount,' said Zeeshan Haider an RTI activist from east Delhi's Trilokpuri.

'The police and government could have bought 400 SUVs for Rs 50 cr. Also, they could have purchased more than 2,000 AC/Non- AC SUVs in the same amount they hired private vehicles because AC vehicles are allowed as per the protocol for A-grade officers and other officers are allowed to use non-ac vehicles.'

Fund woes

A news report last year said Delhi Police's community policing scheme, 'Yuva Prahari', was in doldrums with the department facing acute shortage of funds in paying stipends to volunteers enrolled under the scheme.

Yuva Prahari was launched by then police chief B S Bassi who had called it a 'unique active community policing scheme' involving youth trained to accompany police control room (PCR) teams during patrolling in their areas.

Sneh Tourist Corporation told Mail Today: 'Through tenders, we are allowed to arrange vehicles for the Delhi Police. We provide them on contract basis and keep renewing those tenders.'

In February this year, the High Court pulled up Delhi Police for its failure to install CCTV cameras in all police stations of the Capital.

Later, despite the deadline in June 2015 by the Supreme Court to set up security cameras in all the police stations, not a single one has been installed.