Times of India: Vadodara: Thursday, May 24, 2018.
They were
directly responsible for securing the polling booths and EVMs during panchayat
elections in 2016 at Bodeli in Chhota Udepur district. But two years after the
polls, around 200 policemen of Vadodara city are yet to receive their duty
allowance.
The then
district election officer of Chhota Udepur had asked for force from Vadodara
city police for security. Around 200 policemen from different police stations
and police headquarters were sent to Bodeli. According to police sources, the
cops had stayed there for four days during which they were responsible for
securely transporting EVMs to polling booths and bringing them back to the
strong room after the elections. The policemen were also responsible for the
security of the polling booths.
As per the
earlier practice, the cops were to receive their duty allowance of Rs 370 per
day at the polling booths itself. But according to a cop who was one of the
policemen deployed there, they were informed by the officials that the money
will be credited directly in their bank account. “When the money was not
credited for two months, some of us filed an RTI. The then mamlatdar of Bodeli
then contacted us to inform that they had spent the policemen’s duty allowance
in some other expense,” said the policeman. He also said that the mamlatdar
assured them that their money will be credited within a fortnight and asked
them to not raise the issue otherwise he will land up in trouble.
The cops
filed another application after two months when they did not get any response.
In reply to that application, the mamlatdar then requested the cops to not take
it seriously otherwise he will have to face punitive action. “We then forgot
about the money since it was a small amount, but it is true that none of the
200 policeman who had gone for duty have received the money,” said another cop
who had also gone for duty.
When TOI
contacted N F Vasava, the current mamlatdar of Bodeli, he admitted that the
cops were not paid at that time. “We received fresh grants to make the payment
and the money is lying in our accounts. But we do not have bank details of
those policemen. Around couple of months back we had written to the
superintendent of Chhota Udepur police to help us find details of all cops who
were deployed during poll duties,” said Vasava.
“I am not
aware if any such communication was made to me. It could be a possibility that
the letter was sent when I was on leave, but I will try to find out with my
administration staff if the letter was received by the office,” said M S
Bhabhor, superintendent of police, Chhota Udepur.
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