JAIPUR: A bonus of Rs 11 with a letter of appreciation for a select group of eight hard-working traffic cops manning the roads is what the senior officers of the Jaipur traffic police decided as a motivation boosting exercise.

Traffic policemen are in a quandary and are wondering if they are being rewarded or penalized. The irony is not lost on them. A traffic police officer requesting anonymity said, "We were already performing during the festival season that started with Dussehra. We never asked for any reward. But Rs 11 is actually a humiliation."

An office memo dated November 7 by Lata Manoj Kumar , DCP (Traffic) spells out the details clearly. The list had one woman sub-inspector, a head constable, three assistant sub-inspectors, and three constables.

The DCP mentioned in her letter that the reward and appreciation is a result of the hard work of the eight traffic cops.

The traffic policemen said that it is not the first time such a thing has happened and earlier as well they got cash prices of Rs 51 for solving a serious crime like recovering a stolen vehicle. Most of the traffic policemen said that during the next one week they will have to work for almost 12 hours a day.

When contacted, Lata said, "The amount does not matter, the cash award and the recommendation letter carries weight in promotion and service record. At the time of promotions they can mention how many cash awards they have won and how many appreciation letters they got in their service?"

She confirmed that the DCP office has also decided to give Rs 51 and an appreciation letter to four policemen for recovering stolen vehicles.

One of the candidates said he felt betrayed. "At the time of Diwali, when people in the city will celebrate the festival of light, I would be working at least till 1am. They should not have given a cash award as an appreciation letter can do. If they had decided to give cash as well then they should have given a proper amount."