Mangaluru: District Home Guards, who have been deployed on election duty, have not received their allowance from the past three months!

How to survive without their allowance is the thought that worries the troops, while the officers say this situation is due to technical reasons!

The monthly remuneration of the Home Guards is given through the police department. Whatever the technical reasons be, the salary problem faced by the Home Guards who are surviving by stretching their salaries should have been solved immediately. This problem exists since three months, yet the police department has failed to quickly provide the Guards their allowance.

There are a thousand Home Guards giving their service in the district, of which 800 individuals have been deployed on election duty. These Home Guards are working day and night in an environment of tension and they have not yet received their salaries causing them much needless trouble. Yet, they stay true to their election duty without showing their problem.

When the Home Gaurds questioned why their salaries haven’t come, the budget hadn’t been released and the financial year had already come to an end was the response they received. North Police Department assures that the salaries will be given immediately. At a meeting on this issue at the District Home Guard Office with the divisional officers, the Addittional Superintendent of Police V.J. Sajit informed that the salary could not paid due to technical reasons. The three months salary will be combined and given in April, he assured.

The Home Guards have not received their salaries from the past three months. But before this incident, there have been delays in salary payment. Sometimes their salary comes once in two months. Their work load has increased but their salaries are delayed. Therefore, the Home Guards who solely depend on their salaries have to face additional needless difficulties, expressed a Home Guard not willing to give his name but willing to express his pain with ‘Udayavani’.

“It has already been brought to the attention of the police department about the non-payment of allowance to the Home Guard from the past three months. The Superintendent of Police has informed me that, since the financial year had come to an end the problem arose, but the salary will be soon released and should reach them within a couple of days” said District Commandant of Home Guard Dr Murali Mohan Chuntaru.

Home Guards used to receive Rs. 325 as allowance per day. Currently, the government has increased the allowance by 45 rupees which is applicable from April 1st taking the total allowance pay to Rs. 380. There are 14 Home Guard divisions serving in the district.