Maharashtra top cop orders immediate payment of transfer allowance

Many Maharashtra police personnel don’t even apply for the transfer allowance because of the tedious process, said a senior police officer, requesting anonymity

In a measure that was likely to help at least 180,000 junior cops, Maharashtra director general of police Sanjay Pandey on Sunday ordered all police unit commanders across the state to ensure that policemen transferred to other districts get paid their Transfer Travelling Allowance immediately.

Maharashtra DGP’s order said that a policemen, when transferred to another district, requires money immediately to arrange accommodation, manage children’s school fees, travelling cost etc. (Satish Bate/HT PHOTO)

Transfer Travelling Allowance is a support fund of maximum ₹25,000, given as advance to police officers who are transferred to other districts. Thousands of police personnel are transferred during annual general transfers every year but the fund to ease their transfer burden is often delayed, defeating its very purpose.

“It is observed that when an officer is transferred to another district then he/she immediately requires money to arrange accommodation, manage children’s school fees, spend money on travelling, etc. There is already a provision of immediate sanctioning of advance funds up to the limit of ₹25,000 to a police person so that he/she could manage his/her transfer- related expenses without any additional financial burden. But the processing of the said allowance generally takes a longer time. And as a result, the police personnel are forced to face financial challenges,” DGP Pandey’s order read.

Many police personnel don’t even apply for the allowance because of the tedious process, said a senior police officer, requesting anonymity.

Taking cognisance of the issue, the top cop has now directed for its immediate release to eligible personnel from the Police Welfare Fund. The unit commanders have been further directed to mention the details of the sanctioned advance in the last salary certificate of the said police officer. The new unit commander of the transferred police officer, in turn, has been directed to deduct the sanctioned advance from the cop’s salary only after three months, and in maximum 10 regular installments.

“This is a positive directive issued by the head of the force and will prove beneficial for approximately 180,000-strong constabulary and over 10,000 junior officers across the state,” said another officer, requesting not to be named.