The Indian Express 02.08.2012
300 waste-pickers face job loss, urge Pimpri civic body to shun ‘profit making’ firm
“Although we have been putting in all our might to keep our city
clean, the civic administration and corporators do not want us to
continue….,” waste-picker Rekha Sapkal said, breaking into tears.
Like Sapkal, two others Anita and Shobha, waste-pickers and
housewives associated with SWaCH – a cooperative of waste-pickers -were
seeking justice from Municipal Commissioner Dr Shrikar Pardeshi, and
have urged the PCMC administration and corporators to consider the
efforts they had been taking to keep the town clean. They are among the
over 300 waste-pickers facing job loss.
One of the women said, “Are PCMC and its corporators interested
in social justice or filling pockets of the rich? Don’t they want the
poor to improve living conditions by giving employment?”
The waste-pickers associated with SWaCH highlighted the hard work
they put in for nearly two years going “all-out” to keep major parts of
Pimpri-Chinchwad free of grime and garbage, a task which earned each of
them Rs 4,000 to Rs 6,500 a month.
But SWaCH has decided to severe ties with PCMC owing to what it
said was its double standards and callous attitude towards
waste-pickers. The immediate provocation for SWaCH’s decision is the
appointment of another firm to collect garbage under two divisional
wards, making the job tough for SWaCH.
SWaCH CEO Shabana Diler said, “The other firm is not collecting
user charges from citizens. Collecting user charges is the norm under
JNNURM. Citizens are refusing to pay us. If citizens refuse to pay Rs 20
per month for collecting garbage, how will we sustain ourselves?”
At a press meet addressed by activists Baba Adhav and SWaCH governing
board member Lakshmi Narayan it was alleged that terms of the contract
signed by PCMC with SWaCH and a private firm BVG were unfair to them and
against the social objectives of the government to encourage and
improve the lives of the poor.
The activists said PCMC’s tie-up with SWaCH was meant to benefit
the poor who would get employment and was in favour of PCMC, which would
not have to pay a single paisa for garbage collection after five years
as user collection by then would go up. “For the first year, PCMC paid
us Rs 2.9 crore. This amount will go on dwindling. After five years,
they will not have to pay us. On the contrary, PCMC will have to shell
out crores every year to the other firm…PCMC is playing into the hands
of the profit-making firm and ignoring a cooperative of poor
waste-pickers,” alleged Adhav. Adhav said they had even met Deputy Chief
Minister and Pune Guardian Minister Ajit Pawar, who had recently
felicitated the waste-pickers for doing a good job. “We have met him and
highlighted the plight of the waste-pickers. But he has made no
promise.”
SWaCH members also circulated note from Chief Secretary Ratnakar
Gaikwad praising the work of SWaCH. “A large number of informal workers
earn their livelihood from the collection, grading and sale of
recyclable materials. They are self-employed and carry out the work
without remuneration from the municipality. They are invisible
environmentalists. They contribute to reduction of municipal waste
handling costs,” Gaikwad’s note said.
The civic body has soughttime to study the entire issue before arriving at a decision. Municipal
Commissioner Dr Shrikar Pardeshi said, “I am going through the
government resolution and will take appropriate action.” Civic officials
said Dr Pardeshi has worked hard for social good and would not
disappoint the waste-pickers. “We are sure he will find an amenable
solution,” a senior civic official said.