Mumbai: The Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) has claimed that private contractors had completed 75 percent of the pre-monsoon desilting work till 29, May and the remaining task will be wrapped before the 5, June deadline. There are around 155 major and minor nullahs in the twin-city which measure up to more than 240 km.
It has been alleged that the workers hired on daily wages to manually clean the drains are not only exposed to serious risks due to lack of safety gear, but also exploited by the private contractor who underpay the illiterate workforce by brazenly defying the prescribed framework under the Minimum Wages Act.
“Most of the conservancy workers can be seen working sans much needed equipment and protective gear including gumboots, face masks and hand gloves. At some places the workers were found to be in a highly inebriated state, heightening the chance of casualties. The contractor is flouting all the rules even as the civic administration choses to play blind.” alleged social activist-Shreyas Sawant who has written to the civic chief highlighting the anomalies.
“Clear instructions have been given to the contractor to ensure that the workers are not only armed with the needed safety gear but are also paid as per minimum wages act.” said deputy civic chief-Sanjay Bangar.
As per the solid waste management rules, 2016, it is the duty and responsibility of the civic body as principal employer to ensure that the contractors provide safety equipment to the contractual workers. The MBMC has appointed Ashapura Construction Company for manual and mechanical excavation with JCB’s, Boat-Poclain’s and Hydraulic Earth Moving Machines for the desilting work across the six zonal divisions demarcated in the twin-city.
This apart from roping in local contractors for the provision of suction pumps to de-water chronic flooding spots. The desilting project is pegged at Rs.3.75 crore. For weeding out dead mangrove shrubs in creeks which create obstacles for the free flow of water, the contractual agency is adopting a manual mechanism following approvals from the forest ranger attached to the mangrove cell.
