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
