Garbage heaps, chocked drains and scattered wastes are common sight at each and every locality in Raipur city. The city in its history never faced such a pathetic sanitation condition. Poor and dilapidated sanitation has raised question over the functioning Raipur Municipal Corporation.
While people in several wards in the city are reeling under unhygienic condition the ruling Congress in Raipur Municipal Raipur and BJP government in the state are busy in shifting blame on each other for pathetic sanitation condition in the city. Opposition in RMC is doing nothing but to blame the Congress Mayor for inaction whereas Congress says the BJP is in power in state and since the company which has been awarded sanitation contract belongs to a BJP leader, municipal corporation administration is helpless to solve the problem.
This way the common people in the city have to live under unhyiegenic condition despite paying property tax to Municipal Corporation. BJP government in the state seems to be doing nothing but to remain a mute spectator to the problem. Meanwhile in a bid to bring sanitation system back to track the Municipal Commissioner Avanish Kumar Sharan granted permission to RMC health officer Dr Amrit Chopda to employ 300 additional sanitation kamgars. With additional kamgars, the number of sanitation workers in the city went up to 1950 which include sanitation workers of Kivar Company (sanitation contract firm), regular workers of RMC and contract labourers.
While issuing order to Dr Chopda for appointment of sanitation workers, the Municipal Commissioner also laid down condition that all the sanitation kamgars will have to work in the areas where Kivar Company's workers are not deployed. He also made it clear that additional sanitation kamgars would be paid salaries by Kivar and not RMC.
To this end the independent engineers appointed in RMC will visit to wards to monitor works of these sanitation kamgars. After confirmation of their works, the amount of their salaries would be deducted from the payable amount to Kivar sanitation contract firm. According to RMC solid waste management incharge officer AK Malwe out of 1200 sanitation workers of Kivar, 700 are said to be working. But it is not known as to where they are working. When works of sanitation workers of Kivar are not visible anyway then why is RMC giving payment to Kivar Company is still beyond comprehension. More over only 550 out of 856 regular sanitation workers in RMC are seen to be working in the field. Apart from them, the Municipal Commissioner had already issued order for appointing 10 workers for each ward on collector rate. Accordingly 300 workers were appointed by the zone commissioner. In totality the RMC officials are doing nothing concrete to solve sanitation problem but to complete formality.
