Outsourced sanitation staff deployed for Dasara in Vijayawada complain about long duty hours, lesser pay

Some workers complain that they are made to work 15 hours a day without break for a wage of ₹600; VMC officials say that the workers are provided with all the necessary facilities

If one finds the roads leading to Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy Varla Devasthanam atop Indrakeeladri in Vijayawada clean, the credit goes to the sanitation workers who work relentlessly. However, the workers say that their welfare is neglected.

Several workers hailing from Kavuluru from G. Konduru mandal in NTR district, on the condition of anonymity, said that they are reporting for duty at 6 a.m. sharp and call it a day at around 10 p.m. “We are working for 15 hours every day and the wages are ₹600 per day, out of which ₹100 is spent on travelling to and from home,” said a worker, regretting his decision to work here.

An agricultural labourer, who came along with other villagers to seek work after floods destroyed the cotton and chilli fields there, and a woman, accompanying him, said they used to be paid ₹300, but the work was not straining.

Another woman from the same village said she wakes up at 3 a.m., cooks food for her children, packs some for herself and leaves home by 5 a.m. “I return at around 11 p.m.,” she said.

Both of them are part of the 1,400 outsourced workers that the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation(VMC) has drafted to support the around 400 VMC sanitation staff for the Dasara festivities. The workers are posted at 32 different points from the Pandit Nehru Bus Station (PNBS) to Indrakeeladri.

“The outsourced workers are scattered across the three shifts. The first shift starts at 6 a.m. and goes on till 2 p.m., while the second starts is from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. and the third is from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Their accommodation, transport and food are usually taken care of by their contractors. If the contractors fail to keep up with the agreements, they will not be considered next year,” said Obeswara Rao, sanitation superviser in the Public Health Department of the VMC.

The VMC sanitation staff, too, said they were finding it “extremely difficult” to work with ₹18,000 wages per month. A woman, seated near a shop to take a break from work, was worried that she would be taken to task if the mestri (supervisor) found her wasting time. “I have been working with the VMC for the past 27 years. But they have not regularised my service. We dread working during Dasara,” said the woman, who cleans the drains on other days for ₹18,000 per month.

The woman, who works in the afternoon shift near the Vinayaka temple, said it would be nice if someone offered tea or coffee in the evenings since they eat around 12.30 p.m. “I am a diabetic and I feel dizzy often during my work. We are not allowed to use washroom more than once during our shifts too,” she complains. Going for Annadanam at the temple is too much of a task, she feels. “I cannot walk that far.”

While other workers agreed with her, some said it all depends on the contractors and supervisors. Some are kind and let them have small breaks.

Asked about it, VMC Chief Medical Officer of Health P. Ratnavalli denied that there was no food or water for sanitation workers. “They have been provided with all the necessary facilties. It is not true that they are not being allowed to use washrooms more than once,” she said.

About the 15-hour work schedule, she said the VMC is deploying them for sanitation duties only for 8 hours, but the irrigation department is asking some of them to distribute water to devotees waiting in queue lines.

Published - October 08, 2024 11:49 pm IST