NEW DELHI: They are on duty round-the-clock and risk their lives on a daily basis. From guarding VIPs to nabbing dreaded criminals or patrolling the streets come heat or cold, Delhi Police constables are the very backbone of the police force in the capital. Yet they are poorly paid and forced to live in pathetic conditions. Now the Delhi Police has sent a proposal to the Home Ministry, to be submitted before the seventh pay commission, asking for better pay and perks for even its lower-ranking officers.
“Salary structures of Delhi policemen are lower than those of other states and union territories and this compels Delhi policemen to live in slums and unauthorized colonies,” the proposal states.
This hand-to-mouth existence is seen as a major reason why constables indulge in corrupt practices and take petty bribes. A top police officer said that out of the total 64,903 lower-rank officers, around 12,000 of them are forced to live in slums. “Their children are denied the benefit of help in education and lack of care pushes their kids into bad company,” the proposal says.
A constable and head constable work for a minimum 16 hours a day under inhospitable conditions and are away from home for weeks. “To make the capital safer for the people, they even face several chronic health problems,” says the proposal. Around 15 percent of the total police personnel, especially traffic cops, “suffer from tuberculosis”.
The Delhi police has recommended that salary of constables be raised to `30,000 from the current `24,000 and to increase various allowance.
PAY STRUCTURES: A constable’s salary should increase from the pay band of `5,200- 20,200 to `10,300 to 34,800 with grade pay from `2,000 to `3,200. The Delhi Police has asked for revision of pay at par with salaries of constables in Chandigarh, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. It also recommended that salary of a head constable be raised from `26,000 to `32,000.
The Delhi Police recommends that the pay of a sub inspector be raised from pay band `9,300– `34,800 with grade pay of `4200 to pay band of `10,300—`34,800 with pay grade of `4,600. The salary will increase from `32,000 to `37,000. The sub inspector should get pay at par with postgraduate teachers or excise inspectors. An inspector’s pay should increase from `44,000 to `50,000.
RISK ALLOWANCE: The Delhi Police has also recommended that a ‘risk allowance’ (25 percent of basic pay) to cops serving at specialized units—Special Cell, Crime Branch and Traffic Police. “Many police personnel have sacrificed their lives performing their duty like inspector Mohan Chand Sharma, and head constable Rajbir Singh. Recently constable Mana Ram was crushed to death by a traffic violator,” the proposal says.
CONVEYANCE ALLOWANCE: Constables and head constables used to get `60 per month as bicycle allowance and the sub inspectors and inspectors `300 as petrol allowance. The Delhi Police has proposed to raise conveyance allowance to `3,000 for all the lower-ranking officers as they travel around 50 km per day.
WASHING AND RATION ALLOWANCE: Washing allowance is `60 for constables and inspectors. The proposal recommends this should be increase by at least 10 times in view of increase in the consumer price index. At present, all lower-rank officials get `67.56 as ration money and that should be increased to `85.96, same as that of all central government lower-rank officials.
COMMANDO ALLOWANCE: Currently, a constable gets Rs 50 per month, a head constable gets Rs 75 and a sub inspector `100 as commando allowance. “This should be revised upto 60 percent of basic pay and given to all ranks of commandos keeping in view the nature of the job,” the proposal states.
COMPENSATORY PAY: The lower-ranking officials are unable to avail holidays or weekly offs. Due to increase in crime in Delhi and an acute shortage of human resources, cops are forced to work a minimum 16 hours a day. To compensate for this, they are entitled to 30 days extra compensatory pay, in a year. The proposal states that as in a few central government departments where bureaucrats are given 14 months pay in a year, the police should also be entitled to get 14 months pay in a year— 60 days extra pay.