BHOPAL: Nearly 3,000 home guards in Madhya Pradesh, who were kept away from duty complying ‘call out-call off’ system’, have been asked to join and render the services in tackling COVID-19 spread in the state. The department has temporally suspended ‘call off’ system for two months in wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
The development took place after Free Press published a news report on March 31 highlighting the state government’s failure to deploy home guards, the backbone of emergency services in the time of crisis.
No sooner did the report appear, the director general of home guards, Ashok Dohre, issued an order asking the home guard personnel to return to their duty and lend hand in tackling the crisis. The order stated that the ‘call off’ system remained cancelled in wake of COVID-19 crisis for two months.
The Free Press has reported that the services of Home Guards who are recruited to tackle the national lockdown or disaster like situation were not being taken in the time of crisis. At this crucial juncture when the state is struggling hard to check the COVID-19 pandemic and there is an urgent need of trained hands to implement the lockdown strictly, the home guards were made to sit at home complying with two month ‘call out-call off’ system.
The administration district as well as police is short of hands and dependent on social organisations to maintain the supply of the essentials in the state. But now with home guards resuming their duty the things would be easy as they can play a crucial role in handling the crisis.
The home guards are struggling hard to continue to serve 12 months instead of 10 as according
As per the manual of Home guards, they are volunteers and entitled to be on duty only for 10 months in a year.
In the state from the month February the department had implemented the ‘call out-call off’ system.
In March, 2000 to 3000 home guard personnel were instructed to submit their service kit in the month for coming two months as the department does not have budget to pay salary for the extra two months.
