The State Home Department on Tuesday directed the administration wing in the police headquarters to withdraw orderlies (police personnel working as cooks and domestic help) who continue to work in the houses of retired IPS officers. This shows that while the system of orderlies was officially done away with, it continues unabated.
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Additional Director General of Police (Administration) Soumendu Mukherjee issued the order, which quoted the petition of retired Director General of Police P. Ravindranath dated April, 2022, stating thar orderlies are still working at houses of retired IPS officers. Mr. Mukherjee directed the nodal officials to withdraw the orderlies and submit a report to the head office in a week.
Seven recalled
A senior police officer working as nodal officer said that there were seven orderlies working in the houses of retired officials and they have been recalled. He added that there was no provision for orderlies even for serving police officials, apart from providing a cook appointed by the reserve force under the “cook” category.
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However, sources in the department said that though orderly service does not exist officially, the practice continues due to “an understanding” between the senior officials of the Reserve Battalions and IPS officers.
The orderly system in the police forces across the country was introduced by the British. This allowed constables and home guards to be appointed as personal attendants to IPS officers of the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police and above. Though this system was claimed to have been abolished, some officials continued to avail the service in the guise of getting cooks, which they are entitled to, a senior police officer said.
Trained police personnel serving in Reserve Battalions were sent to serve the IPS officers as cooks, domestic help, manual labourers, and gardeners. In March 2017, the then principal secretary of the Home Department, P.K. Garg, notified announcing the abolition of the orderly system and asking them to avail allowance instead.
The abolition of the orderly system was started by the then Director General and Inspector General of Police C. Dinakar, which was carried forward by Ajai Kumar Singh. However, the proposal was objected to by senior police officers. “Even though the system is officially not in force, it is still in practice unofficially,” the sources added.
Waste of skill
“The State government spent crores of rupees on recruitment, training, and salaries of police personnel serving in reserve force who are skilled and trained on a par with the armed forces. However, it is unfortunate that they render service as domestic help to serve IPS officers and their family members. While the IPS officers used to get 3 to 4 orderlies, the SP or DCP level officials got one or two orderlies depending on their contact,” sources in the department said.