Morup Stanzin
LEH, Mar 31: Nearly 50 percent of Ladakh Police personnel are waiting for their due promotion ever since Ladakh becoming a separate Union Territory.
There are about 2400 Ladakh Police personnel from top to bottom level serving in UT Ladakh. The Non-Gazetted police personnel from Inspector to lowest rank are waiting for their due promotion as no new post has been sanctioned to UT Ladakh after creation of new UT.
Ladakh Police is managing different wings such as CID, Traffic, SDRF etc with the available manpower on internal adjustment without any new recruitment. Kashmir and Jammu zone Police personnel posted in Ladakh were deputed back to UT J&K.
Thus shortage of manpower is forcing Ladakh Police personnel to work more than their normal duty hours. Work overload and lack of promotion in Ladakh Police are further worsening the situation with many of them reportedly going under depression. Being in belt forces, Ladakh Police can’t form a union or association to raise their issue in public domain.
Ladakh Police Head Constable (HC) of 1988 onwards batches are still waiting for their due promotion even as their counterpart in Kashmir and Jammu zone had already got promoted to Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) rank. Promoted in two batches, 1988 batch is getting effect from 01-01-2019 and 1990-1994 batch getting effect from August 2020. The pay grade of HC is Rs 2800- whereas ASI pay grade is Rs 4200. Thus Ladakh Police personnel are suffering a loss of nearly Rs 5000 in their monthly salary. In Kashmir and Jammu zone, 1984-85 batch constables were promoted to Sub Inspector level but in case of Ladakh, cops were promoted to the rank of ASI.
Similarly, Sub-Inspector (SI) of 2010-11 Ladakh Police batches haven’t got their due promotion while on the other hand, their counterpart in Kashmir and Jammu zone got promoted to Inspector rank in 2020.
In a same way, Inspector rank police officers from 1998 onwards are yet to get promotion. However, there was no effect on promotion to DySP and above rank officers as they continue to be Jammu Kashmir UT employees and using JKP as Insignia.
Number of Ladakh Police personnel have already retired from their service without promotion benefits and many of them are going to retire soon. Hardship allowance of 10 percent on their basic salary was also withdrawn after UT formation while petition for their promotion stands file in the J&K High Court.
Ladakh Police Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), SS Khandare, when contacted, said that there are 800 vacancies in Ladakh Police which will be filled only after new recruitment policies in UT Ladakh. When asked about J&K UT giving promotion to their Police Personnel after creation of new UT, Khandare said that J&K UT with legislature has more power and Ladakh Police will be able to give promotion only after final distributions of posts. However, he added, insitu promotion are given as per eligibility. When asked about promotion benefits to the retired personnel, Khandare said that they will get promotion effect benefit.
Follow our WhatsApp channel