AHMEDABAD: Gujarat’s Director General of Police Vikas Sahay had to put on hold his five days old decision to terminate the 9000 Traffic Brigade Jawans (TRB) contract in a phased manner. As the administrative decision conflicted with the political interest of the ruling party, as the Lok Sabha elections are approaching. Interestingly before the state DGP announced the decision to withdraw his November 18th circular, BJP state unit president C R Patil hinted Thursday afternoon that by evening TRB jawans will get good news.
DGP had issued a circular on November 18th directing local authorities to terminate the contract of TRB jawans, the circular read, "Traffic Brigade Jawans were hired on honorarium to assist the traffic police, but one person giving services as Traffic Brigade Jawan for the long term is neither advisable nor acceptable. So you are asked to bring to an end their services when their contract ends." All those who have completed 10 years in service, their contract should be terminated on November 10, 2023, those who have completed five or more years, their contract should be terminated on December 31, 2023, and those who have completed three or more years, their services contract to be concluded on March 31, 2024."
Sources from the home department said it was an administrative decision considering many issues, first and the foremost issue was TRB Jawan's indiscipline and frequent complaints of one or another jawan involved in collecting bribes. Beating the common man on the pretext of violating traffic rules. Acting as bribe collector of regular traffic staff. The other major issue was administrative, if they stayed in service for a longer period at one place, if not today, or tomorrow, they will demand to regularise their services and may even start demanding allowances. Which could prove a financial burden on the state exchequer, to avoid such a burden the decision was taken. If all 9000 jawan's contracts were terminated in the spell of three to four months it would have sent a strong message to new jawans.
But, unfortunately, the time was wrong, said sources, just four months down, Lok Sabha elections were approaching, and the contract termination circular was becoming a political hot topic, opposition parties were extending support to protesting TRB jawans. If political opponents get mileage out of it, it could prove deadly for the ruling party, especially, since its image is tarnished because of competitive exam paper leaks in the last few years, and youths have started feeling that the ruling party has failed to generate enough government jobs. This needed to be countered so the leaders of the ruling party sent a message to DGP to withdraw his decision and had to do it in five days.
