Long after scrapping resident welfare associations, the money left with them is still to be credited to the accounts of Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation.
GVMC had 400 associations through which sanitation work was done and wages were paid to them. However, after their scrapping in August 2011, the work was entrusted to the Maha Vysakhi Federation of self-help groups. From May, the sanitation work was awarded on contract basis.
RWAs still hold money in the accounts opened in the State Bank of Hyderabad for disbursal of salaries to sanitation staff.
“Money remained in our account since the association monitored attendance of workers and, perhaps, some interest also accrued on that,” says president of MVP Colony-Sector IV Residents' Welfare Association K. M. Lakshmana Rao.
More than Rs.10,000 has been lying in the association account since August. There is no proper reply from the GVMC on taking back the money and closing the account, he says. He is of the view that other associations too may be having money with them in their respective accounts. Some money may have been left with the erstwhile RWAs, admits GVMC Chief Medical Officer (Health) D. Abbulu.
“However, money in the accounts could not be that of wages as they would have been paid to the workers. In some cases, it could be PF, ESI amount,” he says.
But the associations have to return the money to the general fund of the GVMC. A zone-wise and ward-wise stock will be taken to ascertain the position and notices will be issued, he says.
The accounts have not been handed over to the corporation since the scarping of the associations, says Assistant Medical Officer of Zone II K. Madhusudhan Prasad.
Also, no meeting has been held with RWAs after their scrapping to facilitate such a process. Now, returns are being filed for the ESI and PF of workers and cases of remittances will come to light, he says.
Keywords: sanitation work, wage issues, GVMC
