Bureau seeks details of safai karamcharis, sewer men

Harshraj Singh

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, November 15

To conduct an inquiry into a complaint about alleged ‘ghost employees’ in the local Municipal Corporation, the Vigilance Bureau has asked the civic body to provide it with details about the working sewer men and safai karamcharis.

The MC has been asked to give information about a total number of wards under its jurisdiction. The bureau has sought information about all regular and contractual safai karamcharis and sewer men and their attendance record from January 1 to October 31, 2018.

The bureau has also sought a ward-wise list with names of the working employees and places of their duty. The bureau has also demanded the lists of sanitary inspectors, sanitary supervisors and ‘numberdars’ working in wards. The bureau further asks about the name of officials who sign the attendance reports of these employees.

The bureau also needs the record of salaries withdrawn in the name of these workers.

The bureau started its probe after a city-based RTI activist, Rohit Sabharwal, filed a complaint against alleged ‘ghost employees’ in the civic body.

Sources said many regular safai karamcharis have further hired private persons to do their job. Besides, residents of many areas have complained that safai karamcharis generally didn’t visit their area in routine.

In September, the MC authorities learned that the names of a few persons had been found on the list of safai karamcharis as well as sewer men. Then, the questions were also raised about the alleged existence of ‘ghost employees’.

Sabharwal has alleged that certain councillors depute fewer workers than required to carry works but claim salaries of the sanctioned number of workers from the Municipal Corporation. He has also alleged that the salaries of the “ghost employees” are allegedly withdrawn by councillors in connivance with certain officials of the health branch and O&M branch.