Commandant General removes corrupt subedar

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

SILCHAR, March 7: All India Home Guards Welfare Association (AIHGWA), Cachar district committee, at its meeting held on Sunday at head post office recreation club here, appreciated the news item ‘Home Guard Association video-records allegations for presentation’ as published in The Sentinel dated December 15, 2015, which prompted the Director General of Civil Defence and Commandant General of Home Guards, Assam, to direct Basanta Sarma, district commandant of home guards, to remove subedar Alauddin Laskar from his assignment. It is to be noted that AIHGWA has been repeatedly demanding action by the higher authority concerned against Alauddin Laskar for his corrupt practices.

It is to be recalled that the Cachar district committee of home guards adopted a series of resolutions in their last meeting held on December 13, 2015. The resolutions adopted were the video-recording of the deliberations and statements of members on the issues of corruption and corrupt practices in the force which were presented before the Director General of Home Guards in the state headquarters at Guwahati. Basanta Sarma had no option than to take away from subedar Alauddin Laskar the responsibility of deployment of home guards.

The allegation is that Laskar has been involved in corruption and for deployment of home guard volunteers by taking undue advantage. As demanded by the AIHGWA, Hirendra th, platoon commandant, has been given the charge of deployment of home guards. In view of the scarcity of job opportunities, the Association has impressed upon the district administration of Cachar to move the various public and private agencies to absorb home guards for security related responsibility. In particular, mention has been made of Cachar Paper Mill, Silchar Medical College and Hospital, NIT, ISBT, Big Bazar, Barak Valley cement factory and the tea gardens.

All these agencies, the Association pointed out, have to protect their interests and that brings in the question of adequate security. As the number of trained home guards is impressive enough, these agencies can be requested to create job opportunities for them. It has also been stated that these home guard persons come from poor families and in the absence of permanent and assured jobs, they have to live and survive on meagre daily allowances. They have nothing to save for their future life. Another matter of concern is that as per the instruction of the Directorate of Civil Defence and Home Guards, Rs.10 has to be collected from each home guard as subscription towards benevolent fund.

This has been done to provide fincial help to the home guard volunteers of the state when in need. Though the exact date of its being started is not available, the Association thinks it was started from the year 2000 and is still in process. In the meantime, huge sums of money have been collected in the me of the welfare of home guards. But in this Barak Valley, no such fincial help even after realization of the token money has been extended to any volunteers in their hour of need, raising question about the very existence of the welfare fund. The meeting of the home guards has decided to file RTI before the public relation officer of the Directorate to know the whereabout of the funds of Barak Valley. It has also been resolved that in order to organize and encourage cultural activities among the volunteers, one cultural function under the banner of AIHGWA should be held at an early convenient date. This information was shared by Sahidul Alam Laskar, president, and Rajat Kanti th, secretary, All India Home Guard Welfare Association, Cachar district committee. Also present at the meeting were Rakibul Islam Laskar and Rupa Rabidas, executive members of the Association.