STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: The Home Department deploys trained home guards in traffic management, police stations etc. Their workload is the same as that of police personnel. However, the department pays the home guard personnel as daily wagers.
A home guard gets a daily wage of Rs 315 when deployed on civil defence duty and Rs 300 on other duty. They get no other facilities like medical allowances, home allowances etc. Even their jobs are not permanent ones. The department engages them for 6-11 months yearly to break the continuity of their service.
The state has around 27,000 home guards, including 10,500 engaged on police duty. Today they started a strike for an indefinite period till the department meets their demands. It has led to a shortage of staff in police stations.
From time to time, the government assures them of fulfilling their demands. However, the government continues to stop short of fulfilling its demands. The home guards demand 30 per cent reservation of vacancies for trained home guards in the recruitment of police personnel. At present, the department reserves only two per cent of vacancies for trained home guards.
Trained home guards view that since they are trained personnel, their recruitment as police personnel will need less time and cost for training.
They also demand pay parity with police personnel as their workload is not less than that of the latter.
They said that the Chief Secretary had assured them last year that the government would place their demands before the Cabinet soon after the formation of the new government.
"We work at traffic points and police stations same as police personnel. The government engages us on security duty during VIP movements. Then why is this inequality in pay? While police personnel draw thousands of rupees as salary and other perks, we get a daily wage of Rs 300. We work for six months or more a year. Our redeployment depends on the choices of officers," a trained home guard said.
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