BENGALURU: Trained constables serving as cooks, manual workers and gardeners at the homes of senior police officers in state police will now be a thing of the past. After dilly-dallying for years, the Karnataka government has finally decided to do away with the system introduced by the British in the late 19th century through a formal notification on March 9.

"We have formally issued a government order to end the orderly system and replace it with followers," said P K Garg, principal secretary, home department.

According to the notification, the government has authorized different arms of the home department to directly appoint 50% of followers for their eligible officials, and extend home orderly allowance to officials to engage followers of their choice on a part-time basis. The home orderly allowances will enable the officers to engage a person of their choice to assist them in disposal of official work at their residence on a part-time basis.

To claim home orderly allowance, the notification says, the officer should certify that he has utilized the allowance for the specified purpose. Officers should also certify that they haven't utilized the service of any police constable, government orderly, and peon at their residence as home orderly.

According to estimates, over 3,000 constables and head constables in the state, including 1,229 in Bengaluru, work as orderlies for senior police officers.

Efforts to abolish 'koi hai', a legacy of British Raj, had faced stiff resistance, especially from senior IPS officers. However, abolition of this system was one of the long-pending demands of the constabulary. Though the idea was first mooted by former DG&IGP Ajai Kumar Singh, it gained steam after constables threatened to go on mass leave last year, pressing for their various demands, including abolition of the orderly system.

Senior police officers said the move will also help the state police save around Rs 50 crore that it spends on salaries of orderly constables and head constables. According to them, the government incurs an expenditure of nearly Rs 70-80 crore a year for providing orderlies to police officers. An orderly's average salary, including all benefits, ranges between Rs 3 lakh and Rs 3.5 lakh a year.

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With govt notification, orderly system finally out - Times of India