Newmai News Network Aizawl | August 28 A large number of ex-servicemen, under the aegis of the Mizoram Ex-Service League (MESL), held a rally in Aizawl today protesting against the creation of Director General (DG) post exclusively for Mizoram Police Service (MPS). The protest rally held between Chandmari Point and Vanapa Hall was also joined by wives and kin of the ex-servicemen. Apart from opposing the creation of DG post under Mizoram Home Guard exclusively for MPS, the protesters also demanded 10 per cent job reservation in group ‘C’ posts and 20 per cent in group ‘D’ posts, a hike in the monthly stipend of World War II veterans and exemption from property tax under the Aizawl Municipal Corporation (AMC) for all ex-servicemen. Addressing the rally, Col (Retd) John Zama, the president of MESL, said they blamed the state government for passing an ordinance that 'legalizes' the creation of DG post under Mizoram Home Guard exclusively for MPS. He regretted that agitation has to be launched due to the negligence of the government to pay heed to the plights of ex-servicemen despite repeated appeals. He further said that leaders of MESL had met Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla several times and submitted representation to all the MLAs in connection with their plights, but to no avail. According to Zama, Mizoram Home Guard was started by 10 retired army personnel in 1964 when Mizoram was part of Assam. Under Home Guard department, ex-servicemen has post reservation such as officers and junior commissioned officers (JCO), among others and the department was usually headed by an ex-servicemen officer and sometime by an IAS officer in the absence of ex-servicemen officer. Zama further said that the government had in August 2014 decided to create the Director General’s post in violation of the Mizoram Home Guards Act, 1985, which, he alleged, was an insult to the MESL and the Mizoram Home Guard Service Association. He then alleged that the state government failed to implement 10 per cent job reservation in group ‘C’ post and 20 per cent in group ‘D’ post for all ex-servicemen according to the central government guidelines. He also demanded that ex-servicemen should be exempted from property tax as per the central government directive. According to the leaders of MESL, there are 1,070 regular employees, 72 war veterans and 491 widows under Home Guard department. They said that the war veterans receive a monthly stipend of Rs 1,200, while their widows receive Rs 1,000. According to the 7th Central Pay Commission recommendations, they said, the Centre has directed all the state governments to raise the monthly stipend from Rs 6,000 to Rs 10,000.
