The higher echelons of khaki — IPS and Rajasthan Police Service (RPS) — in the State are engaged in a virtual combat over getting exclusive toilet facilities in the new police headquarters building which is coming up in lal Kothi area of the State capital.
Unlike their 68 IPS counterparts, the non-provision of attached bathrooms to the 55 official chambers designated for the RPS officers, who have termed it a discrimination, that have led the latter to take up the matter with the Government. The State police headquarters is expected to be shifted soon in this multi-storey building with modern facilities.
According to sources, 68 rooms with attached bathrooms and retiring rooms to be occupied by senior IPS officials above the rank of SPs are getting ready. Another 55 rooms are also being given final touches. These rooms would be occupied by the RPS officials, which normally end up with the ranks of DSPs and Additional SPs. These rooms are without attached bathrooms. These police officials have to use common toilets being provided on the same floors, sources added.
For the past few months, these exclusive and common washrooms have become bone of contention between IPS and RPS officials, serving at the Police Headquarters.
Some time back, RPS officials shot off a joint letter to Additional Director General of Police (planning and welfare) UR Sahoo asking him to provide attached bathrooms in their office room in the new building.
After receiving letter and oral submission by some other RPS officers, recently a meeting of senior official was called to discuss the issue. “Meeting was of the view that there was no need to change the design of the rooms for DSPs and Additional SPs, says Sahoo.
Since then a murmuring is going among RPS officials. They say that this kind of discrimination would make them feel inferiors. They also say that sharing of common toilets with junior staff and visitors, would be against the dignity of the post, which they are holding. They are pointing out that when the Government is spending huge money to construct new headquarters, spending another Rs 50-60 lakh for attached bathrooms to their rooms could not be a problem,” said a senior RPS official.
Another RPS official, on condition of anonymity said, “We are being treated like cattle class. This kind of parity in providing facilities between IPS and RPS officials is not good for congenial working conditions.”