Threat to derail cleanliness drive

Terming the BMC’s cleanliness drive as a “farce,” MMU Working President Sharad Rao and General Secretary Mahabal Shetty said it had given a free hand to the civic administration to exploit labour and favour certain NGOs close to the Shiv Sena.

“In the name of the cleanliness drive, the BMC is planning to employ more than 4,000 labourers from NGOs on a meagre payment of Rs 1,200 per workman per month. Out of this amount, Rs 400 will be kept by the concerned NGO and only Rs 800 will be paid to the worker,” Rao alleged.

“The administration has also hired about 3,000 contract labourers in the name of cleaning private slums, house gullies, and now, under the `Zero Garbage Day’ drama has proposed to hire another 3,500 labourers on contract. We cannot tolerate this,” Rao said.

Rao said there are already about 3,000 men awaiting jobs as seasonal workers for works like cleaning of nallahs and storm water drains.

More than 5,000 badlee kamgaar (workers hired on a daily basis) of the BMC have not been given regular jobs since 1993. About 5,500 applications made by the wards of retired BMC employees are pending since March 1986.

“The recruitment of contract labour proves that the conservancy department has always been short-staffed. We agree that the attitude of the workers need to be changed, but to say that all workers are lazy is incorrect. It’s not by magic that 5,500 tonnes of garbage is cleared from the city everyday. The union had been demanding more staff and vehicles for several years now,” Rao said.

Rao also lambasted the administration for not providing even basic clothing to the conservancy staff. “Forget adequate clothing, the staff is not provided with basic amenities like sheds, drinking water and urinals and chairs at the chowkies,” he said. Referring to the flashy uniforms distributed by NGOs to the their workers, Rao said, “These boys are clad in safari suits and canvas shoes. You expect them to work for the rest of their lives collecting garbage?”