E-Paper
Cops resent low salary, long hrs
RESENTMENT IS brewing among the constables and head constables at their long and tedious working hours and low salary. Many of them even allege that they are being exploited by their senior officials in name of discipline.
RESENTMENT IS brewing among the constables and head constables at their long and tedious working hours and low salary. Many of them even allege that they are being exploited by their senior officials in name of discipline.
Head constables and constables feel that even a class IV civilian leads a better quality of life than theirs. Expressing his anger at the current situation, a head constable said, “On paper, we have to work for 12 hours, but in reality, we are required to remain on duty for 24 hours. Moreover, we do not get proper payment for election duty. Though we get some amount of money, but it reaches us after several years,” the cops said.
Reacting to the constables’ complaints an SHO said, “It’s true that constables are treated badly and to improve their living standard, the government has to amend certain antiquated rules. Then only it can get the best services of police force in the state.” However, talking about the low salary and working hours of the constables, SP traffic Rakesh Kumar Singh said, “It is true that work load is heavy but the constables are paid one month’s extra salary. It means though they work for 11 months, they are given salary for 12 months.”
He also said, “In the first week of every month, the SSP holds a meeting with the station head and constables. In the meeting, grievances of every policeman is discussed. In the next month’s meeting, it is checked whether the problem of the cop concerned has been solved or not.”
But the cops put it otherwise. They said that they are rewarded with a meagre basic salary of Rs 3,050 for their hard work. Some of them had even went to the extent of saying that the salary they get was less than that of a primary school teacher. They said the basic salary of a primary school teacher, who worked hardly for four hours, was Rs 4,500. Owing to the fear of disciplinary action, most constables did not disclose their names.
