The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) is pinning its hopes on revamped groups of sanitation workers to make the twin cities clean, once again. Having accepted the lacunae in road sweeping as well as in garbage clearance – collection and transport — senior officials are keen on rolling out seven-member teams in the place of the 18 plus one units.
The nearly 1,000-odd units working in day and night sourced through contracts each year are being replaced from next month. Around 3,000 groups are to be formed with the GHMC intending to open individual bank accounts so that the monthly salaries are directly credited into their accounts.
Mr. Kumar has stated that groups had been formed in 15 of the 18 circles with the Urban Community Department (UCD) being asked to assist in their registrations. Through this method, senior officials hope to break the unions-contractor-health officials nexus which they believe has led to the current sorry state of affairs.
“A lackadaisical and negligent attitude seems to have developed among the workers, supervisors and the health officers,” moaned Additional Commissioner (Health & Sanitation) L. Vandan Kumar. He had earlier handled the wing during the erstwhile MCH days when the sanitation methods were feted across the nation.
“We have some infrastructure issues like transfer stations unable to take the load and functioning of vehicles, but our sweeping and garbage clearance has surely taken a beating,” he pointed out, after laying bare rampant absenteeism and lack of monitoring during the weekend inspections. What he chose not to reveal was that the same shrinking of work was highlighted barely a few months ago during a similar inspection marshalled by Special Commissioner Navin Mittal. Nothing seems to have changed even while the senior officials sit on two vigilance reports on the sanitation and transport imbroglio without initiating any action.
GHMC Commissioner M.T. Krishna Babu, having realised the magnitude of the problem, has read a riot act to his men to show immediate improvement in the next few days. He has directed Deputy Commissioners to also join the monitoring work along with the Special and Additional Commissioner.
“Groups formation is a good step but again it all depends on the field supervision, otherwise it will be back to square one,” remarked senior officials
