Pondicherry: Chief Minister N. Rangasamy announced in the Territorial Assembly on Wednesday that the Government will soon launch a Police Housing Scheme. Winding up a three-day debate on the demands for grants to 11 departments including `Legislature, Police, Jails and Public Works' in the Assembly, he said that the scheme would ease the police personnel's difficulty in getting dwelling units. Stating that modernisation of the police force with Rs. 66 crore available from the Centre would be taken up soon, Mr. Rangasamy said that a marine police station would come up in Karaikal.

Paying compliments to the police and Home Guards, the Chief Minister said as a token of appreciation, the government would pay a special honorarium (one time payment) of Rs.2,500 to each policeman and Rs.1,500 to each Home Guard. The Government would also pay Rs.1,500 to each of the Superintendents of Police towards expenditure for using mobile phones and inspectors Rs.1,000. Mr. Rangasamy said that a special allowance of Rs.600 would be available to all police personnel.

The daily allowance of Rs.175 now paid to the Home Guards would be increased to Rs.200. Members of the India Reserve Battalion raised by the Pondicherry Government some time ago would be paid a fixed travelling allowance of Rs.400 every month. He announced Mahe and Yanam would get an all-women police station each and Yanam would have a traffic police station. The outposts in Mangalam and Sedarapet would be upgraded into full-fledged police stations and Saram and Alanguppam would get one outpost each. The traffic police would get three ambulances in Pondicherry.

The Chief Minister said the new legislators would soon get residential plots. A fixed sum of Rs.4,000 would be given to MLAs for running their offices on private premises. Personal assistants and drivers would also be available to them. The 30 watch and ward staff in the Assembly would be regularised and the 11 clerical staff working as part-time employees in the Assembly Secretariat would be made daily wage paid workers.

The washing allowance would be raised from Rs.30 to Rs.60 a month to the PWD workers. The overtime allowance now paid at Rs.2,500 would be doubled.

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