The Treasury Bench was in a quandary over a question asked by Congress MlA Kunwar Pranav Singh Champion. He said that salaries and perks of inspectors, sub-inspectors and assistant sub-inspectors have been decreased while those of the tehsildar, who has been doing police work in revenue area, are looking up.
This discrepancy is sending police in a sulk-mode. The State Government constituted a committee under the additional chief secretary to study the pay anomalies and asked it to submit report in three months. However, not even a single meeting has been held so far since it came up in December last, he said.
Home minister Pritam Singh said that it is true that the police (non guzzeted officer)’s salary and grade pay have not been increased as compared to other department officials. He said he could not provide figures regarding the salary and perks. He also failed to answer why the committee has failed to meet even once in the stipulated time.
Parliamentary affairs minister Indira Hridayesh informed the House that the Union Government constitutes the pay commission. “We can do nothing over it,” she said. However, she would ask the committee chaired by the additional chief secretary to meet and submit recommendation to the government at the earliest, she said.
MlA Champion alleged that police who have been working round the clock even on the festive days , are grumbling. On one hand, we expect that they should perform duty sincerely and, on the other, we are not giving them appropriate incentives.
Interestingly, the Chief Minister had announced on October 21, 2014 that they will be given salary and grade pay as per the other government employees and later, the government had issued notification for the committee on December 1, 2014. However, the committee could not find time to meet even once. This exemplifies how callous we are to those who we expect would keep us secure, he said.