KOCHI: Even as the state rolled out a highly trained commando unit and a peacekeeping force of the India Reserve Battalion (IRB), the recruits who are undergoing training are unhappy over the government apathy towards them. When the entire police force gets their salaries in the first week of the month, the commandos have to wait for two more weeks to get their salary. Moreover, their training period which was scheduled for 18 months, has now been extended for another six months. “The government has so far not taken any steps to end the prolonged delay in salary distribution. Besides, when all other officials get their salary through banks we get it from the office. The majority of us come from poor families and our families have to wait till the middle of the month to meet our families’ expenses,” a commando said. The extension of the training period has also irked the commandos. “We joined the IRB in December 2010. We were told that the training period will be 18 months. Of this, nine months’ training was to be conducted in Kerala. In the second phase we were sent to Manipur and other border states to be trained along with the paramilitary forces like the BSF and the CRPF. In between we were deputed for election duty in Uttar Pradesh and for peace keeping duty during the Mullaperiyar issue. This has delayed the training schedule and now the course will take another four months. Even the Army and special forces recruits have only 18-20 months training whereas we are having 22 months training,” another commando said.
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