Rajmeet Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 15

Protecting the salaries of 76 former Special Protection Group (SPG) personnel, recruited in the Punjab Police for the CM’s security, has run into rough weather with the Finance Department stating that being fresh recruits they should be paid the basic salary during the probation period.

The recruitments were made earlier this year under the process initiated in 2019, as per a Cabinet decision taken in 2013 to directly recruit 300 security personnel who had earlier served at different positions in the SPG squad of the Prime Minister or other protectees.

On similar lines, the former SPG personnel ranging from constables to DSPs were recruited in the Special Protection Unit (SPU) of the Punjab Police for the CM’s security.

Though the recruitments were made against existing vacancies, to date the SPU is not a defined cadre with sanctioned posts and the personnel were given slots and numbers against the existing vacancies of the Punjab Armed Police (PAP), resulting in heartburn among the Punjab Police personnel who fear their promotional avenues would be affected. Currently, there are five cadres up to the rank of Inspector — PAP, Intelligence, Technical and Support, Bureau of Investigation (BOI) and district police.

Sources said after the Home Department took up the matter of pay scales of the former SPG personnel, the Finance Department in May this year clarified about paying the basic pay scales as per the recommendations of the seventh central pay commission.

A government functionary pointed out that former SPG personnel, mostly from other states, were taking up jobs meant for the local youth.