Apart from responding to the routine fire break-out calls, the fire brigade and emergency wing of the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) has now been saddled with a daunting task of sanitizing public places and even residential pockets to prevent an outbreak of the novel coronavirus in the twin-city.
However, in a shocking revelation as many as 72 personnel working on a contractual basis for this crucial wing of the MBMC have remain unpaid for the past three months.
Fire engines and water tankers are being used round-the-clock to spray disinfectants like sodium hydrochloride solution diluted in water, as these officials have rolled up their sleeves to carry out the disinfection exercise with dedicated commitment, to curb the transmission of novel coronavirus disease.“Most of the private agencies which bag manpower supply contracts are indirectly linked to politicians who exploit this contractual work-force on the virtue of their influence over the administration. After normalcy returns, strict action should be taken against those responsible for this serious blunder,” said trade union leader Sandip Rane.
“Yes, their wages are held up due to lack of budgetary allocations, however the issue has been resolved and payments will be released in a few days,” confirmed chief fire officer Prakash Borade.
Apart from hiring 42 drivers, the fire brigade has augmented the skeletal staff strength of the fire brigade by inducting 72 contractual employees. In a joint operation fire brigade personnel along with their health department counterparts have launched a massive sanitizing operation to contain the spread of the coronavirus in the twin-city.
