TIRUPPUR: People from BC and MBC communities who were recruited by Tiruppur city municipal corporation as sanitary workers have been diverted to office work whereas people from SC communities are forced to do the job, data shared by the corporation has revealed.
The corporation, in its reply to a RTI query, stated that out of 661 permanent sanitary workers in four zones, 42 are from BC, MBC categories. They are currently doing office work and non-sanitary works such as watchman, tax collector, water man, meter reader, water tank guards. The rest of them are from SC communities and are deployed to collect garbage.
R John Samuel, an activist who obtained the details under the RTI Act and shared it with TNIE recently, said, “In 2000, the state government recruited people from all communities to work as sanitary workers. This was welcomed, as sanitary workers were mostly from SC communities. But, people from BC and MBC communities who were recruited on the sanitary work payroll, never went to the field and instead were deployed in office work and non-sanitary works. As these works come under the the officers, they use their caste influence.”
Tiruppur city corporation commissioner Pavankumar G Giriyappanavar has refuted the allegations of a caste bias. ‘There is no caste issue involved. Some workers were diverted as assistants to officers based on need. As per the latest GO, we will be redeploying these workers back to the field. All workers will be moved from office to field work within this month.”