Home Guards face uncertain future

Says Inspector General of Police IGP P S Brar, who is also commandant of the Home Guards, 8220;How can one person with a full-time job between 10 am and 6 pm in an organisation report for Home Guard duty from 10 pm to 6 am, six days a week?8221;

Persons employed full-time elsewhere but want to genuinely volunteer for Home Guard duties work on weekends or on their days off, Brar points out.The Goa police employs Home Guards for night patrolling and for law and order duties. The IGP maintains that the Home Guards who do not sign a muster every day are also not answerable to the heads of police stations they report to. Hence it is easy for many of them to saunter in at the appointedhour and return home immediately on the pretext that they are out patrolling.

Full-time Home Guards are paid between Rs 1,200 and Rs 2,000 per month depending on their area of operations. Home Guard representatives claim that many of them have been with the organisation for more than 15 years. However, under Central government regulations, they are not eligible for Provident Fund and retirement benefits and are denied facilities like earned leave.