It takes the occasional strike by sanitation workers for the general public to realise the importance of their work. When this happens, cities like Dehradun go through the throes of this discovery as garbage piles up in heaps, everywhere. It must be noted that municipal bodies, in the present set-up, are little more than glorified sanitation departments, having lost much of their powers to the so- called development authorities. This is not the case anywhere in the democratic world, where municipalities enjoy enormous autonomy and powers, consonant with their responsibilities.
As such, the least municipal bodies can do is to clean up the cities well. Quite obviously, this is not possible without efficient and motivated workers, who have to do a dirty and onerous job. Unfortunately, for a number of reasons, these are the most neglected of all workers directly or indirectly employed by Government. Salaries and allowances are granted almost as favours, with little regard for the responsibilities they fulfill. This indicates a lack of awareness among the political masters, and a great lack of sensitivity among the bureaucrats.
If an analysis was to be done regarding how much bad sanitary conditions cost society in terms of disease and general poor health, the salaries paid to staff would prove a very small percentage. Sadly, even this does not seem to affect the decision makers, simply because – owing to the fractured development mandate – they have no idea of the larger picture and certainly do not feel responsible. Such an approach is not appropriate for a state like Uttarakhand, which prides itself on being ahead on the civilisational curve.
What can be the difficulties in improving the quality of life of a few hundred sanitation workers, even if they are employed on contractual basis? Considering the importance of their job, their wellbeing should be the first priority of the employers. Keeping workers on contract, in the modern management context, simply means paying substantially above average wages for the right to fire on short notice; unfortunately, in the continuing feudal culture of the municipalities, it is considered just an advanced form of slavery designed to exploit the most marginalised class. This is also reflected in the kind of equipment and personal kit provided to them.
The present BJP government in the state does not seem too clued into the nitty-gritty of administration, which has led to a lack of due diligence among the officials. Whether it is human resource management – from sanitation workers to teachers – or, getting the legalities right in expanding the boundaries of the municipalities, the government is not being served well by the bureaucrats. It is, unfortunately, the general populace that is paying the price.
