the goan I network
MARGAO
Rising Goans have taken up cudgels for the 1300 beleaguered Home guards, including 600 women, demanding that the government extend all the benefits to the Home guards, including timely promotion as police constables.
Rising Goans has also disputed the claim made by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant that the government has promoted 62 home guards to police constables, with Convenor of Rising Goans Shailendra Velingkar asserting that not a single Home Guard has been promoted till date.
He further said the state government has also not reserved 10 per cent of the vacancies of police constables for the Home guards in the state.
Addressing the media here on Wednesday, Velingkar said though the 1300 Home guards, including 600 ladies, have been working alongside police personnel, discharging the duties of traffic regulation, manning the police stations, night patrolling, which were the primary duties of the police personnel, they have not been duly rewarded by the government for their hard work.
He said the Home guards do not enjoy any weekly offs and are being paid only for 26 days though they put in duties for 31 days in a month.
“There’s a Supreme Court order clearly stating that the Home guards should be paid for the full month, but the government does not want to honour the order. The Home guards have also not been extended other benefits applicable to the police constables,” he said, adding that the Home Guards does not enjoy Provident Fund, ESI, no casual and sick leave though they are deployed for traffic regulation on the roads for long duties.
Saying that most of the personnel working as Home guards are all Niz Goemkars, Velingkars said the Rising Goans will have no option than to resort to a sustained andolan to seek justice for the Home Guards.
