The long-standing demand of Sub Inspectors (SI) and Inspectors of Uttarakhand police to remove the pay disparity was accepted by Chief Minister Harish Rawat on Sunday.
Wild applause erupted in the auditorium of Police lines when the Chief Minister vetted the order to increase the Grade pay of Inspector from present `4600 to `4800 and that of Sub Inspectors from `4200 to `4600 in the programme itself.
The middle rug of State police force was disgruntled at the alleged disparity in grade pay. Their contention was that the other similarly placed cadres of the state government like teachers are getting higher grade pay than them.
The Chief Minister also asked the Home secretary to remove the upper cap of `4000 per month on the 30 per cent extra salary offered to the personnel of SDRF and other policemen attached with them. Rawat in his inimitable style ordered the home secretary Vinod Sharma to ensure that the files of any declaration done for the sports persons should not take long to get cleared. He said that the State Government is committed for the welfare of the policemen of the State.
The State Director General (DG) of police B S Sidhu expressed happiness at the increase in the grade pays of Inspectors and Sub Inspector. He said that it is good that the disparity is rectified before the Seventh pay commission.
“We were feeling deprived and stifled as the other Government employees used to increase their grade pays by retorting to strike and other methods, but we being uniformed soldiers could not give voice to our resentment. All of middle level police officers and their families are thankful to Chief Minister for today’s order,” said one of a Sub Inspector posted in Dehradun.