KOCHI: The protracted fight for justice by the lady officers who had worked with the Air Traffic Control (ATC) finally bore fruits when the Indian Navy gave six officers permanent commission (PC) recently. Four of these are lady officers.
The fight for justice had begun in October 2010 when a group of women who served in the armed forces approached the apex court seeking a policy change that would ensure permanent commission for lady officers, says Commander Prasanna Edayilliam (retired).
Though lady officers with the Air Force and the Army, along with those in the education and logistics wings of the Indian Navy, had received permanent commissions through various Supreme Court orders, the same had remained a dream for those posted with the ATC at various bases.
“The system in the Navy, with regard to ATC, was to recruit officers through the Short Service Commission (SSC) and promote aviation sailors via higher education tests and interviews. Then there were pilots who got grounded due to medical issues. They were posted with the ATC after having done the corresponding course,” says Cdr Prasanna, who belongs to Kanhangad in Kasaragod district.
She says those recruited via SSC and trained at the Air Force facilities are the ones who do the most work. “But they are never considered for PC. After working diligently, they get booted out after 14 years and that too without any pension,” she says.
Precisely for that reason, the officers recruited via SSC considered the job as something with no future, she points out.
Reportedly, all five officers recruited via SSC in 1992 left even before completing seven years. The first batch to be recruited to ATC via SSC was in 1993. “Nobody in the 1993 batch completed 14 years. In my batch of 1994, only two completed 14 years. Being an ATC officer had no value outside the Navy. We couldn’t land a job in civil aviation since the certificate didn’t have any value there,” she says.
Now they are recruiting cadets who have completed BTech, she says. “What good would it be for these youngsters if they are told to go out without any pension or other benefits after 14 years?” she asks. Their fight began after the Delhi High Court ordered the Air Force to give PC to lady officers in ATC. Though Cdr Prasanna missed out on the chance to get the benefits of being a permanent commissioned officer, she is happy that the coming generation of officers will benefit. “It is a welcome change,” says Cdr Prasanna.