No salaries for home guards at RTAs

About 55 home guards working with transport offices in the city drew their last salary in the month of December 2016 and ever since have been running from pillar to post. Quite a few home guards working in Bahadurpura, Secunderabad, Khairatabad, Malakpet and Mehdipatnam offices are Muslims.

A home guard Rahim (name changed on request) at Khairatabad office says, “On one hand the government spends crores for Iftar parties but when it comes to home guards no one is bothered. I do not know how I am going to celebrate Ramzan?” The morale of the home guards has hit rock bottom. A home guard at Secunderabad RTA says, “When we approached the joint transport commissioner he said that he does not have the power to release funds.”

The post of commissioner is now vacant. “How do you expect us to work on empty stomachs,” quipped a home guard at Khairatabad. The salaries of these employees need budgetary clearance. “We have been doing the rounds of all the offices but no official gives us a clear answer. They just say that the file is pending. I still have to pay school fee,” said a home guard. This is the second time that the salaries have been delayed. Many are forced to borrow from money lenders for high rates of interest.