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.