Members and office bearers attached to the local BJP unit staged an agitation on Friday to register their protest against the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) for removing 660 outsourced security guards.
Chanting slogans against the civic administration, hundreds of agitators led by former legislator- Narendra Mehta thronged the main administrative building of the civic body.
The services of 660 private security guards provided by the manpower supply agency to safeguard municipal properties like-ward offices, gardens, overhead water reservoirs and lakes were withdrawn from 1, October, 2023.
"An act of injustice"
“The decision of removing the security workforce is an act of injustice to the contractual employees who have been rendering their services to the twin-city for nearly a decade. Moreover, most of the civic properties have been left unguarded posing a serious threat to safety and security of citizens. We have asked the civic chief to reconsider his decision by directly deploying the guards on an honorarium basis and table a proposal to this effect to the state government. If the administration does not comply we will be left with no other option but to intensify our agitation.” said Mehta.
“The concerned agency had expressed its inability to continue with the hiring process following which the step was taken. Moreover, in adherence to the recent GR issued by the government, it is binding upon us to outsource workers from nine private HR agencies which have been officially deputed for the job. After reviewing the needed number of guards required by each department, we have submitted a proposal to the government. It will ensure that all civic properties are safeguarded.” said additional municipal commissioner-Aniket Manorkar.
Notably, the sister concern of the current manpower supply agency fares in the list of nine HR firms authorised by the government, sources revealed. Despite huge chinks in the security apparatus, the MBMC had been doling out astronomical amounts in the form of monthly pay-outs to the manpower agency for the past more than a decade. Last year the MBMC roped in trained Maharashtra Security Force (MSF) personnel to guard its properties and accompany the anti-encroachment squads for security.
