Mayor Kavita Sanil said on Tuesday that issues relating to handling solid waste by Antony Waste Handling Cell Pvt. Ltd. will be discussed in a separate meeting on December 6.
Replying to questions by councillors at the council meeting she said that the civic body has paid the salary amount due to the company till September. The amount for October is yet to be credited.
Mohammed Nazir, the Commissioner, said the claim by the company on the total amount due to it by the civic body is subject to arbitration. Hence, the corporation now cannot reveal the total amount due to the company. The dues were related to hike in minimum wages, escalation cost and the amount withheld by the corporation (to the company).
Former Mayor Mahabala Marla said that the corporation should have ensured total door-to-door collection of solid waste by now since awarding contract to the company, but this is not happening.
Some members expressed concern over civic workers employed by the company resorting to strikes over salary issues. They said that there is a need to revisit the solid waste management of the city considering the high cost involved and workers taking the people for granted by resorting to strike often.
‘Corporation indifferent’
It may be mentioned here that Prakash Kurup, Senior Manager, Antony Waste Handling Cell Private Ltd. had said that it was the apathy and indifferent attitude of the Mangaluru City Corporation in clearing dues that led to civic workers and drivers stopping the work of door-to-door collection of waste on November 22.
In response to a report published in The Hindu on November 23, Mr. Kurup had stated that the payment due to the firm from the corporation was ₹36.31 crore. “The payment due to us has been kept pending from February 2015, (which is) from the time we had commenced operations..,” he said.
Mr. Kurup said the cumulative outstanding amount of ₹36.3 crore includes non-payment of difference in the minimum wages since its hike in August 2016 and the non payment of escalation charges for fuel and raw materials from February 2016. The difference in minimum wages and escalation charges alone comes to around ₹22 crore.
Mr. Kurup said it was not the firm but its civic workers and drivers who carried out the protest on November 22. The Commissioner was given prior information of the protest and was asked to resolve the issue.
The firm has served legal notices and also issued default notice to the corporation, he added.
