The Hindu 07.05.2013
SDMC to appoint sanitation workers on contract basis
After a blame game between the councillors of the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress during the meeting of the South Delhi Municipal Corporation, Mayor Sarita Chaudhary has directed the Commissioner to appoint sanitation workers on contract basis in all the wards.
The decision was part of the corporation’s strategy to deal with the problem of water-logging during the monsoon season, which is expected in a month. Asking the officials that the action plan to clean the drains should be prepared urgently, the Mayor also directed the Commissioner to appoint sanitation workers for unauthorised colonies in 15 days.
“The SDMC should coordinate with related agencies like the Public Works Department and the Delhi Jal Board and conduct weekly review meeting with the agencies concerned to ensure better cleaning of drains. We expect the review meeting report in the next meeting of House,” she said while directing the civic officials.
During the House meeting of the SDMC, several councillors highlighted the absence of sufficient number of sanitation workers. As per the civic body officials, the SDMC has 266 drains with width/depth of more than 4 feet and also has over 766 km of drains with less than 4 feet of depth. At present there are just 672 sanitation workers to clean these drains.
During the meeting, Central Zone chairman Virender Kasana of the Congress blamed the corporation for not doing enough to ensure that the drains get cleaned.
While talking to the media after the House meeting, he said: “The PWD has been cleaning the big drains since last April. The problem lies with the corporation which has not been cooperating with it. The BJP-ruled municipal corporation did not allow the PWD contractor to dispose of the malba at approved MCD dumping grounds.”
However, Mr. Kasana’s claim was denied by Commissioner SDMC Manish Gupta and Leader of the House Subhash Arya. “The corporation has provided landfill sites to PWD and has asked the department officials to make use of that. It would be wrong to say that we are not cooperating with them,” said Mr. Gupta.
