mid day editorial: Make police recruitment process less traumatic

With no sleeping arrangements made for this year's police recruitment aspirants, outstation candidates take over the padas of Aarey Colony, read a front page report in this paper.

At least 2,000 to 5,000 aspirants have been forced to stay in dangerous conditions in Aarey Milk Colony, sleeping in the open, exposed to attacks from leopards and snakes. Apparently, there are three centres in Mumbai; an SRPF camp in Goregaon, one in Naigaon and the other one in Marol. A good Samaritan is trying to provide them facilities like toilets at least. One hopes that the authorities provide basic accommodation and makeshift toilets at safer place so that these desperate young men do not have to put their lives at risk.

Those in charge of the police exams do know by now, that there are too many aspirants for this job. It is a familiar annual pattern. While it is of course, the onus on police job aspirants to find accommodation in the city, the authorities can book a hall or at least a safe place where those who are in the city for these exams can stay at a minimal cost. While one understands that these may be in thousands, it is unacceptable that youngsters need to put their lives at risk to land a job.

Make the police recruitment process less traumatic for those competing for this. In the past, we have seen candidates battling for life and others dying after collapsing during physical endurance tests for recruitment. While fitness is a prerequisite, examiners must ensure a reasonable time to have these long distance race, and hydration, including an ambulance at hand during physical tests.

There may be little anybody can do to alleviate the supply-outstrips-demand factor when it comes to jobs, but we can make the recruitment for these coveted posts as humane as possible.

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