Rourkela unit functions without head
Starting from various natural calamities to different mega occasions, the civil defence volunteers are deployed but unfortunately the State Government is yet to hike the volunteer’s per day honorarium, which is Rs 28 at present, though it is much higher in other States.
Adding to the honorarium woes, the volunteers of Rourkela unit are also worried about the future of the units. That is why the volunteers of the unit have urged the State Home Secretary through Rourkela ADM in a memorandum to intervene to sort out various demands as early as possible.
According to Suvendu Panda, a volunteer the Rourkela unit, he has been running without any guide as his instructor is on deputation to Koraput unit since November, 2013. Similarly, the AFO who is in-charge of Civil Defence Organisation, Rourkela, is on deputation to OFADRI, Naraj, Bhubaneswar, for the last 4-5 months.
The other matter of concern is that now all the Civil Defence units of Odisha have come to a standstill due to unilateral and arbitrary decision taken by the Director, Civil Defence.
The Deputy Controller and Civil Defence Instructors are on deputation to various Fire Stations across the State. As a result, all the Civil Defence Organisations are defunct with zero activities, added Panda. They have also submitted copies of memorandum to Director, Civil Defence, Odisha, Cuttack, Controller-cum-Collector, Sundargarh, the Union Minister for Home and the Union Home Secretary.