New Delhi, July 09: The Supreme Court has passed strictures against the Union government for the pitiable service conditions of part-time Border Wing Home Guards (BWHGs) who patrolled Indo-Bangladesh border from 1977 to 1992 and directed giving them job parity with full-time BWHGs. This order was passed by a bench comprising Justice Brijesh Kumar and Justice D M Dharmadhikari while dismissing an appeal filed by West Bengal government which had recruited the part-time BWHGs for an initial period of three months in 1977 but continued them in service as per the request of the Border Security Force (BSF).
The bench upheld the Calcutta High Court order directing the governments to treat part-time BWHGs, working under the supervision of BSF, at par with the whole time BWHGs and had extended to them all pecuniary benefits given to state armed police.
It directed the West Bengal government to pay up the arrears within three months while asking the Centre to reimburse the same two months thereafter.
To check infiltration, the union government had floated a scheme by which part time BWHGs, to be recruited for short durations for exigencies, were to be paid by the state government, which would in turn be reimbursed by the Centre.
When the controversy arose over pitiable service conditions of the part-time BWHGs, the Centre had tried to wash its hands off the responsibility by saying that it had not recruited the part time BWHGs and hence the entire expenses were to be borne by the state government.
Bureau Report