Delhi Police chief anguished, directs clearance at the earliest

New Delhi: Expressing anguish over the pendency of relief in accidental death claims and superannuation pension claims of police personnel, the Commissioner of Delhi Police, SN Shrivastava, has now issued directions to clear these pendencies as early as possible and is also reviewing this process through regular compliance reports.

Sources said that Deputy Commissioners of Police of districts and units were asked to resolve the issue at the earliest.

The data shows that till January 1, 2020, about 185 pending pension cases were there. Last year over 1,000 cases and a total of 1,676 cases were decided, leaving 231 cases pending for disbursal of claims as of the end of last year (December 31), according to the data.

Police sources told Millennium Post that during the review of last year's annual report, the police chief expressed anguish over two issues involving the welfare of police personnel and their families with regards to pendency on two counts (relief on death claims and superannuation pension).

As per sources, Commissioner Shrivastava in early January directed the DCP Welfare Unit to ensure that there must not be any delay on such issues and sought regular compliance reports in this regard. Later, the Welfare Unit wrote to districts, units and told them that they should depute a nodal officer and task him or her with resolving all discrepancies in both these cases and ensure payments for the concerned at the earliest.

According to the Delhi Police annual report, the reason for pendencies in these cases was documents awaited from the applicants, succession certificates, guardian certificates, applications pending with PAO, FA to CP, courts, recoveries. "The main units having a heavy load of retirees (PCR-36 cases and Traffic-33 cases) have already been beefed up to ensure processing of the pending pension cases on an urgent basis," police said.

The Delhi Police further claimed that in a major boost to the monetary relief under the insurance schemes available with the Delhi Police's banker Axis Bank, normal death insurance cover has been increased from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 28 lakh (for up to 65 yrs) and accidental death insurance from Rs 30 lakh to Rs 78 lakh. The Delhi Police said that Rs 3.30 crore had already been disbursed under the scheme.

Delhi Police, being the largest metropolitan police force in the world, is concerned with a sustained focus on the welfare of all police personnel and their families, the annual report read.

"For the first time in recent years, the need for proper appreciation of the linkage between performance and well-being have been recognized and specific steps were taken to strengthen the same for greater esprit-de-corps," the report added.