Itanagar traffic wardens launch indefinite dharna, demand induction into home guard posts

A total of 145 Itanagar Traffic Wardens (ITWs) on September 24 launched an indefinite peaceful sit-in dharna at the Tennis Court of Indira Gandhi Park, expressing their growing frustration over the state government’s failure to fulfill its assurance of inducting them into the Arunachal Pradesh Home Guard service.

The wardens, who have been serving in the capital since 2012, are demanding their enrollment against 200 sanctioned Home Guard posts that were specifically created to absorb them. Despite repeated assurances, including a Cabinet decision to induct the wardens, the process has remained stalled, leaving them in deep financial and emotional distress.

“We have been serving the people of Itanagar-Naharlagun for over a decade, often risking our lives on busy roads, working in harsh conditions, and even rendering our services during COVID-19, Assembly Elections, and VIP duties. Yet, we survive on a meager salary that barely covers basic needs. With age catching up, we now find ourselves with no alternative but to demand the job security we were promised,” said one ITW representative.

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Another traffic warden, Yagon Pabin, voiced his resentment, telling India Today that all official formalities for the sanctioned 200 posts have already been completed, but their induction with one-time relaxation remains in limbo. “We are compelled to leave our duties and stage this agitation, even if it causes chaos in the capital’s traffic. This is about saving our future,” he said.

Echoing similar sentiments, another ITW lamented the financial strain of surviving on their current pay. “In this expensive time, with family and social responsibilities, our meager salary leaves us struggling. We lost our youth serving the capital, and now we appeal for justice from the state government and Home Minister Mama Natung,” he said.

The ITWs stressed that their demand is not for luxury, but for dignity, stability, and recognition of their decade-long service to the state. They urged the government to honor its own resolution without further delay and ensure that their livelihood is secured through regular induction into the Home Guard service.