Special packages like enhancement of monthly wages in election time to Special Police Officers (SPOs) to stop quitting tendencies brewing up among the SPOs’ the failure of the government in establishing a natural bonding with this category of policemen offered only consolidated salaries. Unfortunately the government is using SPOs for its own conveniences on a consolidate monthly salary of Rs 6000/- four times less than what a class IV employee gets in a civilian department. Interesting the risk of life for SPOs is very high and once engaged most of them are exploited by top police officers who use them for in kitchens and vegetable gardens in their homes. Ironically when SPOs have started quitting their job for the fear of getting killed in a vulnerable security scenario the government offers them just enhancement in monthly wages but not the job security,i.e, regularization. It is no guarded secret that only those SPOs are considered for regularizations as police constables who work with the units of Special Operations Group (SOG) an anti-militancy wing of the Jammu & Kashmir police for not less than two years. Had the Jammu & Kashmir Government been serious about the personal safety and job security of SPOs it would have sent several proposals to the Home Ministry for change in the procedure and process of their regularization as constables in the police department. In fact the monthly wages offered to Special Police Officers (SPOs) at the risk of their precious lives are half of what a labour earns for just 8 hours work a day in private sector in Kashmir.
Offering Special Police Officers (SPOs) hike in their monthly wages to stop quitting trends brewing up among them is not the cause of their disillusionment but pinch in the shoe lies somewhere else and it is for the government that where the pinch lies in the shoe.
Chief Secretary saying that there would be a quantum jump in the monthly wages of Special Police Officers (SPOs) within some days is a crude joke as they don’t want money to risk their lives but they want change in the procedure and process of their regularization as police constables. If government can give Special Police Officers (SPOs) the security of their life but at lease it can give them job security, i.e, their regularization as constables. Offering Special Police Officers (SPOs) hike in their monthly wages to stop quitting trends brewing up among them is not the cause of their disillusionment but pinch in the shoe lies somewhere else and it is for the government that where the pinch lies in the shoe.
