Ishtiyaq Ahmad
Srinagar, Oct 02 (KINS): As scores of Safaikaramcharis are without salaries, the internal bickering between top brass of Srinagar Municipal Corporation and corporators mars the functioning of the Corporation.
Sources said the government was unhappy with the functioning of the SMC.
“There is no end to controversies in the SMC. Earlier it was its Mayor, now it is its Commissioner and some corporators who are leveling allegations against each other,” an official told news agency Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS). “There are scores of complaints that SMC has failed to do any good work on the ground,” the official said.
One of the corporators recently leveled serious allegations against some officials of the SMC. The corporator has accused the SMC officials for their alleged involvement in wrong doings. “Government may hold a probe into these allegations to unveil the facts,” the official said.
The SMC is already under the scanner of anti-graft bodies for allowing illegal building constructions.
Recently, a case was also registered against some SMC officers for allowing illegal building constructions in the summer capital.
The SMC is responsible for keeping Srinagar city clean and ensuring proper hygiene besides taking steps to ensure development on modern lines. However, it has remained in the news for wrong reasons in the recent past.
While Jammu Municipal Corporation has performed far better during the COVID-19 times.
“There is strong cooperation among employees and corporators. They work under a transparent system. But here in SMC, there is lobbyism and everyone wants to see each other down,” another official said.
At the same time, hundreds of lower employees like Safaikaramcharis in SMC are finding it hard to feed their families.
“This lockdown has put us in deep trouble but some SMC officials are busy bickering. No one is concerned about us. There is no accountability. There are huge differences between officers of SMC and corporators,” a lower rank official said.
The Safaikaramcharis of SMC who are at the forefront to contain the COVID-19 are without salaries for months.
“We are without salaries for many months. In times of plague, the Safaikaramcharis are working day and night. We are struggling to feed our families,” one of the Safaikaramcharis said.
“Our families are worried about our safety. We have to work round the clock but are not given protection equipment. There are always chances we may catch infection,” he lamented.
Commissioner SMC Gazanfar Ali when asked why the safikarmcharis are not being paid their salaries, said that there are two types of Safaikarmcharis in the corporation. “ Let me explain, we have two type of safaikarmcahris, among those around 900 are dependent on the user charges we are collecting from the people. We had problems during the Covid pandemic but now things are getting normal and we are thinking that we will pay them through the bank,” he said and added that other safaikarmcharis who are under the budget have no problems.
When asked about the fighting in the corporation, he said it is the only public place where political activities are active. “This is routine here,” he replied.(KINS)
Safaikaramcharis without salaries but SMC top brass, Corporators busy in bickering ‘Thinking to pay them through bank’, SMC Commissioner
