The Hindu                11.05.2013

Private agency to supply 421 temporary sanitary workers

The Tiruchirapalli Corporation Council on Thursday decided to hire a private agency to supply 421 sanitary workers for a period of six months to tide over the shortage of sanitary workers in the city.

The council that had deferred a decision on the matter at its last meeting owing to opposition from the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, approved the award of a contract to a private manpower agency at an urgent meeting on Thursday.

Although the DMK members came around to accept the proposal at Thursday’s meeting, they appealed to the corporation to avoid such outsourcing in future. M.Anbazhagan, former deputy mayor of the DMK, urged the corporation officials to desist from taking up such privatisation initiatives.

“Talk to the Local Administration Minister to explain our situation and get the government nod for appointment of permanent workers,” he suggested. T.Muthuselvam, DMK, suggested direct recruitment of temporary workers by the corporation on consolidated pay.

Mayor A.Jaya assured the members that it was only a temporary move taken up in view of the shortage of workers.

Corporation Commissioner V.P.Thandapani said the civic body has already written to the government seeking approval for filling up vacant posts of sanitary workers.

Until last year, the corporation had not been able to recruit permanent workers in view of the government order restricting new appointments in civic bodies whose salary expenditure was more than 49 per cent of its revenue. Now the salary expenditure has been brought down, paving the way for recruitment. The move to hire a private agency was just a stop-gap arrangement to tide over the situation till the government’s go-ahead for appointment of permanent staff was received.

Given the rapid urbanisation and increasing population, the corporation has been facing a shortage of sanitary workers. Five more wards were added to the city with the merger of Tiruverumbur town panchayat, and Pappakurichi, Ellakudi, Keezha Kalkandarkottai and Alathur village panchayats, all located in the eastern periphery of the city. With this, the geographical spread of the corporation will increase to 167.23 square kilometres from 146.90 sq km. The city’s current population is 9.16 lakh.

Of the sanctioned strength of 2,165 sanitary workers, there were more than 400 vacancies putting the civic body under much pressure in executing sanitation works, especially in the added areas. Apart from meeting the requirements in wards, the new sanitation workers will be deployed at Gandhi Market, Central and Chathram bus stands, and the five new wards in the city, corporation sources said.

The council also gave its nod for preparing estimates for improving amenities at a cost of Rs. 72 crore under Integrated Urban Development Mission, Tamil Nadu Urban Road Infrastructure Development Scheme, and Infrastructure Gap Filling Fund. The proposals will be forwarded to the government for approval.