For employees of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), the new commissioner, Somesh Kumar, is proving to be a good Samaritan as their grievances are being addressed in a jiffy.

This was proved during a meeting for redress of grievances held at the GHMC’s central zone office on Saturday where B Uppalaiah, a sanitary jawan, told the commissioner that he had met with an accident and paid for his medical expenses by taking a loan on 3 percent interest from a moneylender. He requested the the commissioner to help him get medical reimbursement immediately to enable him repay the loan to the moneylender.

Hearing his plea, the commissioner directed the zonal commissioner (central), Sivaparvati, to issue a cheque on priority by the evening itself from the employee’s GPF account as  medical reimbursement is time-consuming. Some junior assistants also met the commissioner and informed him that as many as 350 to 500 junior assistants had been working for 10 to 16 years in the existing posts without any promotion. The officials concerned were directed to look into the complaint, finalise and place the promotion list by November 12. 

Some employees complained to him that there were inadequate number of chairs and tables forcing  visitors to stand during interaction with them. The commissioner asked the deputy commissioner and the zonal commissioners to provide the necessary furniture, dining-rooms, toilets, etc, and also to take repair works of the building wherever necessary.

Sweepers came up with a complaint that brooms, rags and other such items provided to them were of poor quality. Additional commissioner (health & sanitation) L Vandan Kumar was directed to conduct a special camp with the newly-appointed special sanitation officers and sweepers and check the quality of conservancy items to be purchased in the future.

Responding to the representation of GHMEU president U Gopal with regard to payment of funeral charges to families of the deceased on the same day, the commissioner said that the zonal commissioners and deputy commissioners concerned would ensure that the amount of `10,000 was handed over to the bereaved families on time.