IMPHAL, March 28: treating VDF as regular force is beset with technical difficulties said Gaikhangam, Deputy Chief Minister who also hold Home Minister of the state today.
While interacting with media persons this evening, Gaikhangam appealed to the VDF agitators not to continue further as the government is considering their demands for increment of salary to Rs. 10,000 per month, 13 month salary like other police force and separate battalion for them etc.
He however said because of financial constraint faced by the State, considering the VDF personnel as regular police force would have a lot of technical constraints.
He further said VDF personnel calling a strike is very unfortunate, as armed personnel are not supposed to indulge in this form of protests.
The Government is aware of the nature of duty performed by the VDF in state but they cannot be treated as police. It will be better for them to maintain discipline and withdraw their agitation, he further said.
He said their representative had a meeting with the DGP and this should have resolved the matters. We are sure the outcome of the meeting has been a positive one, he added.
Government has recruited 10050 VDF personnel on remunerations of Rs. 5,000 a month, and even if the Government were to increase this by just Rs. 1000 each, the amount is huge, he said. The Government does not have the funds to fulfil their demand, he said definitively.
Technically, the mode of training and recruiting as VDF is different from regular police force. Though they have contributed much in the maintenance of law and order of Manipur, they still have to be treated differently from regular police, he said.
They are like volunteers to defend their villages, but because of the general law and order situation in the State, they are called out for other duties like the State Home Guards, he added.
The government is not exploiting them as they feel and theirs are not regular posts, he said. District SP level can handle their recruitment as well as dismiss them without taking the matter to the DGP level, he said.
State Government needs to discuss their matter minutely with Chief Minister who is also holding the finance portfolio of the State, before anything can be done, he said.
The DGP will report today`™s meeting to the Government and then the Government will see what can be done, in the meantime the VDF association must withdraw their agitation, he cautioned.
Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/03/treating-vdf-as-regular-force-has-technical-difficulties-says-gaikhangam/