Climb Mount Everest and all that you’ll get is a homeguard’s job on a paltry monthy salary of Rs 9,700! Though these men and women in khaki, often battling odds with just a lathi, sweat it out daily, they are not even on government rolls, meaning that homeguards are denied all other perks.
Three youths from Bengal — one man and two women — who scaled Mount Everest last month have been offered ‘jobs’ as homeguards after chief minister Mamata Banerjee promised them government jobs. All three have rejected the offer.
“Even selling eggs is preferable to becoming a homeguard. I have told this to deputy commissioner Sujit Kumar Gangyopadhyay, when he offered me the post after the chief minister promised us a job with Kolkata Police at a ceremony in Town Hall on June 3,” Tusi Das said. Das, who is in her late twenties lives in Dum Dum area and sells eggs for a living. She climbed Mount Everest on May 19.
“They came to my office. We offered them the job of homeguard as they all have crossed 27 years which is upper age limit for eligibility of a job in Kolkata Police,” Gangyopadhyay said.
At a felicitation programme on June 3, chief minister Mamata Bannerjee instructed Kolkata police commissioner Surajit Kar Purakayastha to arrange jobs for Tusi Das, Chanda Gayen and Debdas Nandy in the force. "On June 10 we were asked to meet Sujit Kumar Gangyopadhyay, the deputy commissioner of the 7th battalion at Alipore bodyguard lines. He offered us jobs of homeguard instead of any permanent post," said Chhanda Gayen, who climbed Everest on May 18.
{{/usCountry}}At a felicitation programme on June 3, chief minister Mamata Bannerjee instructed Kolkata police commissioner Surajit Kar Purakayastha to arrange jobs for Tusi Das, Chanda Gayen and Debdas Nandy in the force. "On June 10 we were asked to meet Sujit Kumar Gangyopadhyay, the deputy commissioner of the 7th battalion at Alipore bodyguard lines. He offered us jobs of homeguard instead of any permanent post," said Chhanda Gayen, who climbed Everest on May 18.
{{/usCountry}}Debdas Nandy, who reached the summit on May 19, said he won’t accept the offer. “It is simply derogatory for an Everest climber,” Nandy said.
Manish Deka and Tarun Saikia, climbers from Assam, were given the post of deputy SP in Assam Forest Protection Group by chief minister Tarun Gogoi. And Vinita and Meghlal, climbers from Jharkhand, have been absorbed as employees of the government.