Punjab's all safai sewaks to work in field from now onwards

Charanjit Singh Teja

Amritsar, July 22

The Department of Local Government has decided to deploy all sanitation workers in the field and cancel postings of those working in offices and at residences of officers.

The Director, Local Government, has written to all Commissioners of the Municipal Corporations in the state not to get any other work done from safai karamcharis other than sanitation. The directions have been sent on the demand of various unions of sanitation workers.

The office-bearers of the safai karamcharis unions claimed that for a long time most of the sanitation workers, who come from non-Valmiki communities, prefer to get deployment out of the field, where they don’t have to do the basic sanitation job.

Vinod Kumar Bitta, president, Safai Karamchari Union, said, “Most of workers, who are working in the field, are from the Valmiki community as they don’t hesitate to broom the roads and lift garbage. But those who get jobs of safai karamcharis from non-Valmiki communities often hesitate to broom streets. They manage to get their deployment in the offices of the MC and work in a clean environment. Most of them are working as attendants, peons, drivers and some of them even work on computers. The sanitation work is not reserved for only the Valmiki community. If someone gets employment for sanitation, then he should be in field”.

The sanitation worker unions met Minister for Local Bodies Balkar Singh on January 31 and highlighted the issues.

The department has already issued the directions in this regard and a reminder has been issued on July 16.

Now, various unions of the Amritsar MC led by Bitta are going to meet the MC Commissioner to implement the orders of the department.