Police personnel worked 58 more days than other govt employees, should get extra salary: DGP tells state

The director-general of police (DGP) Sanjay Pandey has sent a proposal to the state government requesting them to pay police personnel in the state a month’s extra salary, as throughout the year they have worked on public and government holidays, without leaves

The director-general of police (DGP) Sanjay Pandey has sent a proposal to the state government requesting them to pay police personnel in the state a month’s additional salary, as throughout the year they have worked on public and government holidays, without leaves.

Director-general of police (DGP) Sanjay Pandey has sent a proposal to the state government requesting them to pay police personnel in the state a month’s extra salary. (HT PHOTO)

The DGP cited examples of other states that pay their police personnel one month’s additional salary every year as an incentive allowance.

Pandey on Wednesday wrote to the additional chief secretary (home), requesting him that the police personnel should get one month’s salary (basic pay+ dearness allowance) as incentive allowance.

His letter (of which a copy is with HT) states, “To maintain law and order, the police personnel have to remain present on duty even on government holidays as well as public holidays. As a result, they are not allowed to take public holidays like other government employees. Hence, they must be compensated.”

According to police officers, there are in all 137 government leaves allotted to government employees every year. But, the police personnel get only a total of 79 days, including 52 government holidays, 15 days of additional leaves, four days of miscellaneous leaves and others.

The additional leaves that the police personnel get are valid only for that particular year. If these leaves are not utilised or encashed, they get lapsed, an officer said.

According to the DGP’s proposal, on average an officer works additional 58 days every year, if compared to other government employees. The working hours of police personnel are also longer than those of other government employees and the nature of their work is stressful and exhausting.

In Punjab, incentive allowance is given to police personnel for working on public holidays. Similarly, other states like Orissa, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Mizoram and Haryana too give one month’s salary along with additional leaves as incentive allowance, cites the proposal.

On the same ground, the policemen in Maharashtra should also get this incentive allowance, Pandey requested in his letter.