[ Bengia Ajum ]
ITANAGAR, 24 Sep: The 145 Itanagar Traffic Wardens (ITWs), the force behind managing the chaotic traffic of the Itanagar Capital Region (ICR), are on an indefinite peaceful sit-in protest here at the Tennis Court in IG Park. They are demanding the immediate absorption of all 145 wardens into the Arunachal Pradesh home guard cadre, following the recent creation of 200 posts by the state government.
With ITWs absent from the streets, the authorities are struggling to manage traffic effectively. However, the wardens remain resolute in their demand. Until their sole demand of being absorbed into the home guard is met, they have stated that they will not return to duty.
They have already approached various authorities, including the home minister, regarding the matter. In their letter, the ITWs appealed to the minister to consider one-time absorption of all current ITWs into the home guard cadre through a special relaxation.
“In front of us, the home minister spoke to senior officials of the state police about our demands and discussed the issue. Since then, we’ve been waiting to hear the next step from the state government,” said Karsang Peter, one of the ITWs.
Recruitment of ITWs began in 2011. They were hired temporarily to manage traffic in the ICR, as the state traffic cell lacked the necessary manpower to cope with the region’s growing needs. “The first batch was recruited in 2011 and the last in 2016. Since then, we have been sincerely performing our duties. We were even deployed during the general elections. We operate under the guidance of the SP Traffic,” added Peter. Of the total 145 wardens, 8 are female, and the rest are male.
With many having served for more than a decade, the ITWs are now urging the state government to fulfill what they claim was a long-standing promise of absorption into the home guard cadre.
“We were assured that we would be absorbed once home guard posts were created. That time has now come. Some of us have been serving as ITWs for almost 15 years,” said Peter.
The state government has yet to issue an official response to the ITWs’ demands. However, unofficially, a “technical issue” has been cited as the reason for the delay.
“The state government is committed to enrolling ITWs as home guards, but some technical issues have cropped up, and they are being looked into,” said an official who did not wish to be named.
