The CRPF has formulated a detailed plan to open up the functioning of Force following relaxations by Home Ministry from Monday. Officers of the rank of second-in-command and above will be required to have cent per cent attendance and those below will have attendance strength of 33 per cent in order to maintain social distancing in the offices to prevent the spread of Coronavirus.
"Attendance of Deputy Secretary i.e. 2IC (second-in-command) in CRPF and above will be 100 %. Remaining officers & staff attendance will be upto 33 % of strength. However, below the level of Deputy Secy in the divisions, Divisional heads will call thre officers /staff as per requirement within the overall capping. All are requested to ensure strict compliance of the measures in true spirit," reads an internal letter circulated across all the formations of the CRPF.
With a strength of 3.25 lakh, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is the biggest paramilitary force in the world and is the lead Central Force counter-terrorism, anti-insurgency and anti-Naxal operations in the country.
According to the Union Home Ministry guidelines, selected additional activities have been allowed to be undertaken with effect from April 20and CAPFs are among the list of those offices which can function without any restrictions provided that strict adherence to the norm of social distancing.
"Since GOs (Gazetted Officers) are having their separate chambers in the office , they will attend their office. The Ministerial staff as well as executive NGOs (non-Gazetted officers) engaged in office for administrative job should attend office taking into consideration the availability of office space, distance between duty desks, urgency to dispose off the work etc but keeping the aspect of maintaining social distancing in mind at all times," reads another circular of the CRPF.
Those who commute through public transport and do not possess personal vehicle, they may not be able to attend the office in the absence of public transport. A decision may be taken that they may be exempted from attending office or arrangementfor their transport will be required to be made by asking them to avail CRPF buses on its existing routes or tweaking them slightly, if feasible, reads the order.
However, the CRPF buses will be required to carry only 30 to 40 per cent of their carrying capacity so that social distancing is maintained.
The onus of calling working staff in various offices of the CRPF will be on the Head of Departments/Office and they will be free to use their discretion to depute adequate number of working staff/manpower to dispose off correspondence of an urgent nature by drawing duty rosters.
"As regard maintenance of ops (operational) strength, since out force remained deployed for various operational duties across the country , their deployment will remain same without any restrictions subject to maintenance of the spirit of social distancing," added the order.