Numbers game multiplies BMC’s woes

“One junior engineer and one senior engineer from the the Water Distribution Department are engaged in the census survey,” says deputy leader of the Shiv Sena, K P Naik. In fact, Sena corporator Bala Sawant says water contamination problems in the government colony Bandra (E) are thirsting for redressal.

At Adarsh Lane in Khar (E), the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has temporarily abandoned work on laying a six-inch pipeline as junior officials from the Construction Department of the Andheri Water Works, which undertakes the projects in the area, are on census duty. “Only 20 per cent of the work is left, but the trenches cannot be covered till the job is complete,” says an official. Around 90 major and minor works under the Hydraulic Engineering and Water Supply departments are currently underway and will have to be completed by May 31.

Officials of the Hydraulic Engineering (HE) Department say 22 of 7,500 (out of this only 30 per cent comprises of qualified staff) personnel have been assigned census work. In the Construction Department itself, about 60 junior engineers and sub-engineers are on census duty. As the Construction Department also processes tenders for projects, deadlines for these have been deferred.

Billing has also slowed as water meter inspectors and readers have not been spared. “Around 500 employees are away on survey work,” says an official, who wonders how water bills will be delivered on time. Revenue collection will dip further as clerical staff from the three zonal offices of the Water Supply and HE departments have been temporarily relieved of their routine duties.

Anticipating the crisis, Additional Municipal Commissoner, Subodh Kumar, had issued a circular stating that officials and employees from the HE, Water Supply, Octroi and Property Assessement and Collection departments should not be assigned census work. But to no avail.

Surprisingly, office superintendents, who are an unskilled labour, have been left untouched. The office of Sewerage Project Department at the Byculla Cement Godown building which has three superintendents, all of whom are surplus staff have not been given census work though engineers who are to retire in a fortnight have been roped in. About 80-90 employees (90 per cent) of the Sewerage Project Department are away on survey work. Similarly, the Sewerage Planning and Design Department faces a daunting task as it has to get project reports ready before May 24, in time for a visit by a World Bank team.

Civic officials point out that mass-scale inclusion of civic staff is bound to paralyse the BMC’s operations.

1) A total of 20,000 of the 1 lakh civic employees have been assigned census work.

2) Main departments affected: Hydraulic Engineering Dept: 22 employees, including junior engineers, sub-engineers, clerks and peons, have been roped in. These are part of the 30 per cent skilled labour in the 7,500-strong department. Sewerage Project Department, 80-90 per cent of the staff have been assigned census work.

3) Census work began on May 2 and is likely continue till May 30.

4) Staff carrying out the work say it is back-breaking, taking about 30 minutes per family as 34 columns asking for minute details like “mode of floorings”, “mode of construction of walls, roofs”, “water supply lines, toilets (are they self-contained)”, banking services, TVs (black-white or colour) etc have to be ascertained.