Chennai: While some Social Media posts have thrown up serious complaints of poor salaries and working conditions for the police in Tamil Nadu, their families are said to be planning a ‘Chalo Fort St George’ on Thursday to meet the Chief Minister and seek remedial measures. A comparison among the pay packages of police personnel in south India, indicates that TN is at the bottom of the list while Kerala is at the top.
From constables to deputy superintendents of police, cops in Tamil Nadu are among the lowest paid in south India as per the 2016 statistics from Bureau of Police Research and Development. A newly promoted head constable in TN can take home a salary of around Rs 38,000 while the pay package of SI with more than 33 years of service is around Rs 59000.
Meanwhile the city police on Wednesday beefed up security around Fort St George and on Kamarajar Salai to make sure that the police families do not gather there on Thursday, when discussion for the demand for grant for home department is scheduled.
While aggrieved police personnel were actively inviting family members of men and women in khaki using social media platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp groups to reach Fort St George, the state DGP T K Rajendran had issued a circular asking all in the force to be present for duty by 8.30 am sharp on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, when assembly is scheduled to discuss the demand for grants for police department.
He had also asked all unit heads to monitor online and social media activities of their sub-ordinates after a poster highlighting the demands of police personnel appeared on the wall of AR camp in St Thomas Mount two weeks back.
The demands of police personnel, include 8 hours duty, mandatory weekly off, filling up vacancies in law and order wing, abolition of orderly system and recognition for Tamil Nadu constabulary association.
