ITANAGAR, 6 Oct: The 145 traffic wardens of the Itanagar Capital Region (ICR), who were on a protest since 15 September, called off their protest on 1 October after receiving verbal assurance from Home Minister Mama Natung and his adviser Mutchu Mithithat their demand would be addressed.
At the direction of Chief Minister Pema Khandu, the home minister and his adviser interacted with all the traffic wardens and listened to their grievances.
A traffic warden expressed confidence that their grievances would be addressed by the government. It is learnt that Mithi and Natung asked for two weeks’time to address the wardens’ demand.
The traffic situation in the ICR had worsened when the wardens had gone on a sit-in protest to demand their absorption into the 200 posts of Home Guards under the home department.
In June this year, the state government sanctioned the creation of 200 posts of Home Guards (Group C, non-ministerial, non-gazetted) under the home department, and by doing so, all existing contractual posts of traffic wardens deployed in the ICR stood abolished.
No further appointments will be made against the abolished posts, according to an order issued by Home Principal Secretary Kaling Tayeng.
The order mentioned that the posts will remain valid from the date of issuance up to 28 February, 2026, subject to availability of funds under the appropriate head of account in the department’s budget for the financial year 2025-26.
The selection process for enrolment as Home Guard volunteers will be made through direct enrolment (50%) on the basis of merit adjudged by the PHQ in the subjects mentioned in Sub-rule (3), and by enrolment (50%) on the basis of selection/recommendation made by the committee constituted under Sub-rule (4).
The percentage of posts under direct enrolment quota and absorption quota under Sub-rule (1) will be reviewed, depending upon the number of ITW (Itanagar Traffic Warden) candidates selected/recommended under Sub-rule (4), along with other rules.
The recruitment examination will be governed by a common examination scheme. A merit list of selected candidates (under the direct recruitment quota) will be prepared by a committee to be constituted by the director general of police.
The Arunachal Pradesh Extraordinary Gazette, 21 November, 2023 provides that those ITW candidates who do not get selected/recommended for absorption under Sub-rule (4) in the initial recruitment period may be considered for selection/absorption under Sub-rule (4) (ii) subsequently, subject to satisfactory performance during the period of five years preceding the year in which such selection/recommendation is made, if they otherwise fulfill the eligibility criteria under Sub-rule (1) of Rule 3, along with other rules.
