Bhopal News: City Struggles With Low Tenant, Employee Verification Amid Migrant Surge

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The state capital is witnessing a steep rise in its migrant population, yet tenant and employee verification at local police stations remains disproportionately low. Despite repeated instructions and warnings from Police Commissioner Harinarayanachari Mishra, majority of house owners and commercial establishments continue to ignore mandatory submission of tenant and staff details.

Police officials report that lakhs of people from across Madhya Pradesh and other states have moved to Bhopal in recent years. Students, private-sector employees and workers predominantly reside in Kolar, Ashoka Garden, Govindpura, Bag Sewania, MP Nagar and Jehangirabad. However, despite large numbers of outsiders, verification figures remain surprisingly low.

Officials say hostels and lodges generally cooperate by providing identity proofs and details of new occupants. Negligence is more common among individual landlords, many of whom rent out a room or small portion of their house without submitting tenant information. Similarly, restaurants, hotels and business owners often hire staff without notifying police, even though the process is compulsory.

A police official said people neglect the mandatory process and later plead not to take action when tenants or staff are found involved in crimes. In recent years, Bhopal Police has conducted multiple campaigns to encourage compliance. In cases where a crime occurred, landlords and employers who failed to complete mandatory verification were booked.

The process is now easier through an online police portal, allowing tenant and employee information to be submitted digitally. Once submitted, details are automatically forwarded to the concerned police station for verification. Despite this convenience, the number of applications remains far below expectations.

Police Commissioner Mishra said tenant and employee verification is essential for maintaining security. Repeated instructions are being issued, and special drives are underway. Action is taken against those who do not follow rules. With migrants continuing to arrive in large numbers, officials stress that cooperation from landlords and business owners is crucial to strengthening city safety.

Local verification figures lag

In Kolar, one of the largest and fastest-growing localities where lakhs of outsiders reside, only around 450 tenant and employee verifications were submitted in the last two months, including online.

Ashoka Garden, known for its student population, recorded just 115 submissions, while Govindpura received about 200 during the same period. In Bag Sewania, police launched a drive, yet the figure was 400 in the past six months and around 1,000 in the past year.

Bajaria police station did not receive any tenant or employee information during the past month, but officials there have planned a drive soon.