Govt urged to heed HC decree on home guard
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, December 11 2024:
Manipur Home Guard Employees' Welfare Association (MHGEWA) has urged the state government to comply with the directives issued by the Manipur High Court concerning the demands put forth by home guard personnel.
In a press meet held at the Association's office in Luwangsangbam on Wednesday, Association president Y Mangi said home guards play an important role in maintaining law and order in the state.
However, the home guard personnel are facing huge inconveniences due to the absence of a commandant, deputy and additional commandant general for the force.
He also disclosed that around 6-7 cases have been filed at the High Court as the authorities have failed to address the demands of the home guards.
Mangi said it has been 62 years since the home guard organisation was established in Manipur.
However, the absence of a commandant general, deputy and additional commandant general for home guards, while entrusting the charge of the force to the DGP and ADGP has been detrimental to the development of the organisation.
After the state government failed to address the demands, the Association filed a petition at the Manipur High Court which disposed the same in its favour.
It (court) directed for reviewing the retirement age of home guards from 60 to 62 years, he related.
As the duties of the home guards, which are very few in numbers, increased with some of the personnel deployed in Jiribam and from Thoubal to Kakching districts, the Ministry of Home Affairs in its counter affidavit informed the High Court that it agreed to recruit 3,038 posts but the state government had not made any proposal in this regard.
Subsequently, the court directed the state government to ensure strength of 400 personnel for each of the districts mentioned, as well as recruiting a total of 1000 home guard personnel to fill the vacancies left due to retirement or death, within three months, he recounted.
Stating that around 25 home guard personnel are assisting Jiribam district police in maintaining order in the district, Mangi said that if the government had discussed the Association's demands for recruitment in a timely manner, there would have been no need to deploy the personnel from another area.
He also lamented that the Association s request to the commissioner (home) and commandant general to requisition the home guard personnel from Jiribam, is yet to evoke any positive response.