GUWAHATI, June 22 ? At a time when the State Government is facing a serious financial crunch and is not even in a position to pay the salaries to the employees regularly huge amounts of money running into crores of Rupees due to the Police Department from banks and other organisations including Central Public Sector Undertakings are lying unpaid for years. According to information available with the Assam Police Headquarter, the total dues from different organisations for providing security would be more than Rs 25 crore. Interestingly, some organisations have not paid the amount due to the police for years.
As per records available, during the period from 1984 to 2000, the Assam Police claimed an amount of Rs. 19,78,37,726 from the NF Railway for providing police guards but upto the end of March this year, only an amount of Rs. 5,33,15,638 was paid by the Railways. The position is almost the same in case of providing guards to the Airports as against an amount of Rs 5,95,88,599 claimed by the police during the period from 1981-82 to 2001, only an amount of Rs 2,14,12,695 was paid. It may be mentioned here that the security of the airports is gradually being handed over to the Central Industrial Security Force.
Police sources revealed that the North East Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO) owes the State police Rs 2,11,20,244 for providing guards to the Kathalguri power project and Rs 61,19,418 for security cover to the Kopili power project. As per police records, the other major defaulters include Post and Telegraph Department, Tata Tea Limited, All India Radio, Balimara Tea Estate, State Bank of India, UBI etc. and their accumulated dues amount to crores of rupees.
Meanwhile, police sources revealed that most of the police personnel are not getting their dues including travelling allowances regularly due to paucity of funds and the situation would improve considerably if the concerned organisations clear their dues regularly. Moreover, as a considerable section of the Assam police force is engaged in guard duty, the State has to bring in more Central forces to fill up the gap, which ultimately adds to the burden of the fund starved State.
Sources pointed out that providing guards to the profit making organisations like tea estates and Central Public sector undertakings is not among the regular duties of the police force and such organisations can always take CISF security cover on payment of money or they can also engage private security agencies. Whenever, the police has to provide guards to such organisations, they have to reimburse the salaries and allowances of the policemen posted in such organisations. However, the police provides security cover free of cost to such organisations and installations in special cases when these are under threat of the militants. Sources also pointed out any individual can request police guard on a payment but providing guards against such request would depend on availability of force.
Commenting on the steps taken by the Police Department to get the outstanding dues, police sources said that letters are being written regularly to the concerned organisations requesting them to clear their dues and in some cases, the Police Department also wrote to the Government to take up the matter with the concerned organisations. Sources admitted that the Police Department has not approached the Court in this regard so far ?such a decision would have to be taken at the Government level?. However, as the Government of Assam owes some of the concerned organisations including the NEEPCO considerable amounts, a tussle is also going on regarding the amount demanded by the Police Department for providing security, police sources admitted.