Over two dozen Police Inspectors (PIs), slated for promotion to the post of Deputy Superintendents of Police (DySPs) many years ago, are apprehensive of retiring before their elevation to the higher post. If the prolonged delay in direct recruitment of DySPs is not enough, the elite Goa Police has yet again come under scathing criticism by its own officers for deferring promotions of senior PIs.
Officers belonging to 1991 batch, who joined the police force as police sub inspectors (PSIs) were due for their second promotion to DySP rank many years ago, but it seems their tenure might end before the files for their promotion are cleared.
The department has nearly 33 senior PIs waiting for promotion, out of which, several officers are serving as PIs for close to two decades. Sources told Herald that some of these officers are nearing their retirement age and if the trend continuous, huge number of PSIs recruited in the last one decade might face the same fate.
“Nearly 23 out of the 33 PIs are serving to this rank between 15 and 20 years. Although the entire batch of senior police officers since 1991 are eligible for promotion as per the Recruitment Rules, the ongoing scenario has left many in frustration. Several verbal and written reminders to promote the PIs have fallen on deaf ears,” said an aggrieved senior PI.
The PIs barely have five to eight years of service remaining. Resentment is brewing in the ranks as delayed promotion has also clipped their chances to become IPS officers. Over the last two decades, only three State police officers – amongst those promoted in time from PSI to SP (Superintendent of Police) – have entered the IPS (Indian Police Service) cadre.
Another officer lamented that the DySP posts on promotion have been vacant even as the direct recruitment has not been carried out for nearly 21 years. “The successive governments and our very own department are dragging their feet over filling of vacancies by promotion. The ratio on promotion and direct recruitment are only being amended without any logic. Instead, the department should fill-up the existing posts,” he said.
“Goa police have been speaking about giving opportunities to the serving PIs to get promotion by proposing 60:40 in the recent letter to the government, but they should clear the backlog first. We do not understand why there is time-to-time amendment to filling up of this post and still the files are caught in red-tapism,” said another.
The last promotion of eight PIs was in 2014 while two officers were promoted the following year. Earlier this year, the government had regularised the promotion of two adhoc DySPs, who are kept on probation for two years. Interestingly one of them is retiring the next month.
While the promotions along with direct recruitment to the rank of DySPs have come to a grinding halt, the serving officers have also been silently protesting against the department’s recent proposal seeking 60:40 (promotions and direct recruitment).
The current situation has led to acute shortage of DySPs considering that nearly all are holding multiple charges. It is learnt that the department has a shortage of nearly 50 per cent DySPs as only around 19 DySPs are presently posted at different sub divisions/units.
Sources further disclosed that way back in 2011 when the promotion and direct recruitment ratio was modified to 50:50, the then government had not taken the Police Establishment Board into confidence. A similar situation has once again risen wherein the department has proposed further amendment to 60:40.
With the delay in promotion, the existing officers also slammed the department for taking away their opportunity to be eligible to answer exams to create avenues for promotion.
As per tentative data with Herald, 1997 batch of around 19 officers, 1999 batch of 10-12 officers and another 29 from 2002 batch are also in the list for promotion.
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Waiting on unfulfilled promises
* The elite Goa Police has yet again come under scathing criticism by its own officers for deferring promotions of senior PIs
* There are nearly 33 senior PIs waiting for promotion, out of which, several officers are serving as PIs for close to two decades
* Majority of the officers who joined the department, some 25-30 years ago, on the post of Sub-Inspector have managed to get only one step higher to rise to PI
* Some of them are nearing their retirement age and newly recruited PSIs and if the trend continuous, huge number of PSIs recruited in the last one decade might face the same fate
* DySP posts on promotion have been vacant even as the direct recruitment has not been carried out for nearly 21 years
* The current situation has led to acute shortage of DySPs considering that nearly all are holding multiple charges
* The officers slammed the department for taking away their opportunity to be eligible to answer exams to create avenues for promotion and also to become IPS officers
* They have also been silently protesting against the department’s recent proposal seeking 60:40 (promotions and direct recruitment)
* They refer to the recommendations of Gore Commission, which had suggested that this higher rank should be filled with promotion. The report recommended 100 per cent promotion to fill up the vacancies.
* The Gore Committee in 1974 had recommended that the promotion quota for appointment to the rank of DySP should be increased gradually and direct recruitment be discontinued in five years
* The consecutive State governments, which were privy to the feelings of the to-be promoted officers, have been amending direct recruitment quota percentage from time to time
* The promotion and direct recruitment ratio was amended from 80:20 (in 1997) to 50:50 (2011) with fresh proposal to make it to 60:40 (July 2019)
* In the last two times, the Police Establishment Board was not taken into confidence during deliberations on modifying the ratio
* In 2006, the then SP headquarter Arvind Gawas, now IPS serving as South SP, had also proposed that the government to do away with the direct recruitment
* He supported that promotion of existing officers would motivate them and help in raising the morale as well as efficiency of the sub- ordinate ranks
* The struggle to get promotion can be traced as early as 1991 when the then Inspector General of Police (IPS) Y R Dhuriya had sought from the government to amend the Recruitment Rules of the DySP post
* The 1997 batch of around 19 officers, 1999 batch of 10-12 officers and another 29 from 2002 batch are also in the list for promotion
