Food, vigil worries cops

There are no free lunches and this has come true for some Delhi Police officers. These officers would not only have to return the department cooks they were keeping for personal use, but also pay up arrears in lakhs as penalty.

There are no free lunches and this has come true for some Delhi Police officers. These officers would not only have to return the department cooks they were keeping for personal use, but also pay up arrears in lakhs as penalty.

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Delhi Police Commissioner Y.S. Dadwal has ordered transfer of cooks from the houses of seven officers, including five serving officers. The order has come in the face of a cook crisis the department would face during the Commonwealth Games.

Besides the reassignment, Dadwal has sent each officer a bill of Rs 2.4 lakh for using the cooks, meant for the police department, in their personal kitchen for the past two years.

The bill amount was generated after calculating the monthly salary of a Delhi Police cook. These cooks would now be put on duty at barracks where policemen and paramilitary officials will be stationed during the Games.

Hindustan Times has seen a copy of the letter Dadwal sent to the defaulting officers.

“For the past two years, these policemen have been using the resources meant for Delhi Police in their personal capacity. When we were analysing the manpower it was found that we had an acute shortage of cooks,” said a senior police officer on condition of anonymity.

“I have received the letter and I will see into it,” said Paul. When contacted, a serving police officer said he “had no idea and would check”.

About two years ago, Dadwal had ordered that the cooks, hired by Delhi Police, be sent back to their parent force, as they had no business to work at the homes of police officers.

“Despite repeated reminders the cooks were not repatriated. It was decided that these officers would also cough up their salary and restore it to Delhi Police,” said the officer.