Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 17: The Director General of Police (DGP) Jammu and Kashmir RR Swain has brought to the attention of the Principal Secretary Home the longstanding grievance of Inspector ranking officers of J&K Police regarding pay disparity with their counterparts in other state police organizations and central police forces.
As per DGP’s letter to Principal Secretary Home, the pay disparity also exists when compared to Section Officers, Stenographers, and AAOs in other departments of the J&K Government, who were similarly placed until the end of the 5th pay commission.
According to him, the unaddressed downgrading has led to a baseline pay difference of Rs 9,000 per month for the Inspectors of J&K Police.
When other allowances, based on basic pay, are factored in, the DGP said, this difference increases.
With DA now at 50% of the basic pay, the overall discrepancy amounts to approximately Rs 13,500, he further mentioned in his letter addressed to the Principal Secretary Home.
Allowances such as HRA, Hardship Allowance, and the 2½ Day Allowance have also been adversely affected by this anomaly, he said.
This persistent pay disparity, according to DGP, despite repeated requests and representations, has negatively impacted the morale and professional pride of these officers.
The J&K Police force includes around 1,200 Inspector ranking positions, providing crucial leadership to about 1.2 lakh personnel.
These officers are responsible for significant roles, such as Station House Officers, Officers In-charge of SOG sub-units, and various other key functions that influence crime prevention and detection, law and order maintenance, intelligence collection, prosecution support, and special operations against organized crime, including terrorism, separatism, narcotics, and cyber frauds.
In his communication to the Principal Secretary Home, the DGP fruther said that the issue of ‘differential treatment’ is particularly significant in J&K, where police officers work closely with multiple security partners and coordinate critical operations.
This disparity in pay and recognition, despite holding similar ranks and responsibilities, has led to a sense of relative deprivation among the Inspector ranking officers, he said.
As such the DGP Swain has urged the Principal Secretary Home to examine the previous requests on this issue, which have been pending for a long time.
A favorable decision has been accordingly sought to boost the morale and productivity of the J&K Police, thereby enhancing the overall effectiveness of the force in maintaining law and order and ensuring public safety in the region.
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