Nearly 78000 ‘safai sainiks’ ensure sanitation and cleanliness of the national capital without caring about their own life, often working in poor conditions. Half of them have been either ‘substitutes’ of ‘daily wagers’ for decades and no agency is serious about their interests and welfare.
Whether it is Covid, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, G20 Summit or any other major event in the city, this workforce has given its best to maintain hygiene of the city, says chairman of Delhi Commission for Safai Karmacharis Sanjay Gehlot while talking to Anup Verma. Edited excerpts:
What are the major issues related to safai sainiks?
The main issue of safai sainiks is their regularization. The majority of the staff is engaged in sanitation work for more than a decade – many of them have spent 20-25 years at it – but they are still engaged as either ‘substitutes’ or ‘daily wagers’. Almost half of the total strength associated with the MCD is waiting for their regularization as they are not on
permanent payroll.
You have been demanding better facilities for the staff. Please elaborate.
There is no shelter facility in any of the MCD wards for sanitation workers like changing rooms, rest rooms, facilities for women engaged in sanitation and cleanliness activities in every ward. They work for eight hours a day but the civic body isn’t bothered about their welfare and basic needs. The staff faces lots of issues while doing their routine work and the harsh reality is that they don’t get proper treatment. I think government agencies should realize their contribution and treat them in a fair manner.
We often hear about the disparity in staff distribution in MCD wards. What is the truth behind it?
Usually, staff distribution takes place as per the size/area of the ward. Many councillors raise this issue on many occasions that staff allocation has been deliberately reduced in their ward and given to the ward of ruling party/heavyweight councillors but the truth is that we work as per the area of the ward. On some occasions, additional deployment of additional workforce takes place. It happens only for a particular event but does not take place on a regular basis.
The AAP-led regime in the civic agency claims it regularized over 5000 personnel in one go. Please comment
The government has made them contractual staff and is claiming to regularize them. The fact is that giving a contractual certificate means they will have to wait for a long time to get appointed on a permanent payroll. On some occasions, some of our colleagues get permanent employment certificates but their number is very few. We want more and more facilities as we are warriors on the ground who keep the national capital clean.
Is there any difference in facilities for sanitation workers after the change of guard in MCD?
The condition of safai workers is almost the same in any regime. Whether it was Covid period, Commonwealth Games or G20 Summit, our colleagues on ground put their best foot forward. Neither the previous government worked more nor is the current regime thinking more about us. The fact is that even after working for two shifts during the G20 Summit, none of the staff members got any extra appreciation or remuneration.