Punjab
Home Guards
Introduction
The
Punjab home Guards and Directorate of Civil Defence, commonly
known as Punjab Home Guards, were conceived as voluntary
organization sometimes in 1960s. Since inception in Punjab,
Punjab Home Guards and Directorate of Civil Defence have
functioned under one Head of the Department. Broadly speaking,
Punjab Home Guards Civil Defence is organized to solicit
active help from the public men/public servant in providing
various social services like Rescue of causality, flood
relief, fire fighting particularly caused by incendiary
bomb during war and warlike situation. Punjab Home Guards
function as an auxiliary to the law and order enforcement
agencies, mainly local police. Department of Punjab Home
Guards has two separate wings:
i)
Border Battalion Wing
ii) Rural and Urban Wing
Bulk
of Punjab Home Guards have continuously been engaged in
maintenance of law and order, security of VIP's and vulnerable
points in normal as well as emergent situations. It experienced
considerable expansion of strength during militancy. The
volunteers of Punjab Home Guards enrolled during the period
of militancy have continued to be on active duty for more
than a decade. The continuity on active duty has created
a misunderstanding amongst the volunteers that they are
also regular govt. employees on daily wages. Their status
is entirely different from their misperceived thinking.
The Punjab Home Guards act, 1947 and subsequently rulings
by Supreme Court of India have clearly clarified that volunteers
are neither Govt. employees temporary or adhoc nor are they
wage earners. Their status is not more than that of a volunteer,
who has joined Punjab Home Guards to render self-less service,
till they are needed for different emergent situations.
Main
Objective of this department
This
department is an auxiliary to police. The main objective
of the department is to provide volunteers to Police department
for law and order & security duties etc. Besides, the
department also provides Civil Defence training to general
public.
Major
Tasks of this department
The
major task of the department is to recruit volunteers from
all walks of life and to train them, to enable them to assist
the Police in various security duties. The department also
provides Civil Defence training to general public, Government
employees, students etc. in order to help the community
in any kind of emergency arising out of internal disturbances
and external aggression etc.
Supporting
Organizational Structure
Department
has following organizational structures
1.Commandant
General Punjab Home Guards & Director Civil Defence,
Punjab, Chandigarh
2.Deputy Commandant
General Punjab Home Guards & Director Civil Defence,
Punjab, Chandigarh
3.Divisional Commandant
General Punjab Home Guards at Patiala, Jalandhar and Ferozepur
4.Battalion Commanders
for 6 Border battalions located at Border Districts Gurdaspur,
Batala, Amritsar, Patti, Ferozepur and Fazilka.
5.Commandant Combined
Home Guards & Civil Defence, Training Institute, Punjab,
Mohali.
6.District level
officers designated as District Commanders in State.
Functions/Rules
The
Punjab Home Guards department has wings:
1. a) Urban/Rural Wing
b) Border Wing
2. Civil Defence The
Home Guards volunteers of Rural and Urban Wing are required
to perform the following functions:
a.to
serve as auxiliary to Police and help in maintaining internal
security.
b.to
help the community in any kind of emergency caused by air-raids,
fires, floods, epidemics, earth-quake etc.
c.to train and maintain 'Functional Units'
for providing essential services, such as, motor transport,
pioneers and engineers group, fire brigades, nursing and
first-aid, operation of water and power supply installations
etc.
d.to
provide manpower for Civil Defence Services in Civil Defence
category-I town viz. Pathankot, Jalandhar, Ferozepur, Bhatinda,
Adampur, Barnala, Nangal, Halwara, Kot-Kapura, Ludhiana
and Amritsar.
The volunteers of Border Wing Home Guards are required to
perform following functions:
a. in normal times and during period of
tension on the Border, to assist in providing lead security
to Border villages and thereby boost the morale of the inhabitants
to carry on their normal avocation and to be a different
against any mischief from across the border.
b. to protect the lines of communication
in times of emergency and to assist the local administration
in tackling the problems of internal security in border
area.
c. when required, to provide sub units
and auxiliaries to the B.S.F. and Army for the defence of
the border including patrolling along the border and in
fighting .
Civil Defence
The following towns in Punjab State have been
declared as Civil Defence Towns:
| S.No. |
Name
of Civil Defence Town |
Category |
| 1. |
Pathankot |
I |
| 2. |
Amritsar |
I |
| 3. |
Jalandhar |
I |
| 4. |
Adampur |
I |
| 5. |
Ludhiana |
I |
| 6. |
Barnala |
I |
| 7. |
Kotkapura |
I |
| 8. |
Bhatinda |
I |
| 9. |
Ferozepur |
I |
| 10. |
Halwara |
I |
| 11. |
Nangal |
I |
| 12. |
Mohali |
I |
| 13. |
Batala
(GSP) |
I |
| 14. |
Abohar
(FZR) |
II |
| 15. |
Gurdaspur |
II |
| 16. |
Hoshiarpur |
II |
| 17. |
Patiala |
II |
The volunteers in following Civil Defence Services are trained
to provide assistance in case of emergency:
| S.No. |
Name
of Civil Defence Services |
Name
of Service at District level |
| 1. |
Headquarters
Service |
Dy.
Commissioner/SDM |
| 2. |
Warden
Service |
Chief
Warden |
| 3. |
Training
Service |
Distt.
Commanders PHG |
| 4. |
Communication
Service |
Divisional
Engineer (Tele) |
| 5. |
Casualty
Service |
Civil
Surgeon/Chief Medical Officer |
| 6. |
Fire
Fighting Service |
Divisional
Fire Officer/Chief Fire Officer |
| 7. |
Rescue
Service |
Ex
Engineer/PWD (B&R) |
| 8. |
Depot
& Transport Service |
Distt.
Transport Officer/GM Punjab Roadways |
| 9. |
Supply
Service |
Distt.
Food & Supply Controller |
| 10. |
Salvage
Service |
General
Assistant/DC and Municipal Engineer |
| 11. |
Welfare
Service |
Distt.
Revenue Officer |
| 12. |
Corps
Disposal Service |
Civil
Surgeon/ Medical Officer Health |
|
