Jaipur: While the issue of deployment of beat sanitation workers in wards has left the mayor and additional commissioner of Jaipur Municipal Corporation Heritage (JMC-H) locked in a tussle, JMC Greater (JMC-G) has taken steps to deploy beat workers for the first time.
When JMC was split into JMC Greater and JMC Heritage in November 2020, both the civic bodies proposed to deploy beat workers. While JMC-H managed to float tenders and deployed beat workers in 2021 and 2022, no beat workers were deployed by JMC-G since its formation.
Long before bifurcation, JMC had, however, started deploying beat volunteers. The system was started because unlike MPs and MLAs, the councillors are not entitled to any remuneration. The primary job of the beat workers is to clean the councillors’ offices. They also clean the roads adjacent to hotels, restaurants, wedding halls and other public places in the wards they are assigned to.
“Over the years, the system has gone through modifications. Initially, the government used to pay the councillors directly. Later, with allegations arising that some councillors were taking the money without appointing any workers, the government asked councillors to send the names of the deployed workers along with their bank account details. The government paid the money directly to the accounts of the workers,” explained an official.
This system changed again as allegations cropped up about some councillors providing bank account details of their “associates” and taking the money for their own use. “The government then decided to carry out background verifications of the workers and started paying them through direct benefit transfer (DBT),” added the official.
JMC-G deputy mayor Puneet Karnawat told TOI, “In the first year, there were problems with verifications, and before the problem could be resolved, Mayor Soumya Gujar was suspended. Then, in 2022, Mayor Sheel Dhabai proposed to deploy eight workers in each ward, but it could not be processed due to paperwork.”
“This year a tender has been processed allowing three beat workers in each ward of JMC-G. Let us see if we can finally deploy the beat workers. Many councillors had demanded more staff in each ward,” he added.
When JMC was split into JMC Greater and JMC Heritage in November 2020, both the civic bodies proposed to deploy beat workers. While JMC-H managed to float tenders and deployed beat workers in 2021 and 2022, no beat workers were deployed by JMC-G since its formation.
Long before bifurcation, JMC had, however, started deploying beat volunteers. The system was started because unlike MPs and MLAs, the councillors are not entitled to any remuneration. The primary job of the beat workers is to clean the councillors’ offices. They also clean the roads adjacent to hotels, restaurants, wedding halls and other public places in the wards they are assigned to.
“Over the years, the system has gone through modifications. Initially, the government used to pay the councillors directly. Later, with allegations arising that some councillors were taking the money without appointing any workers, the government asked councillors to send the names of the deployed workers along with their bank account details. The government paid the money directly to the accounts of the workers,” explained an official.
This system changed again as allegations cropped up about some councillors providing bank account details of their “associates” and taking the money for their own use. “The government then decided to carry out background verifications of the workers and started paying them through direct benefit transfer (DBT),” added the official.
JMC-G deputy mayor Puneet Karnawat told TOI, “In the first year, there were problems with verifications, and before the problem could be resolved, Mayor Soumya Gujar was suspended. Then, in 2022, Mayor Sheel Dhabai proposed to deploy eight workers in each ward, but it could not be processed due to paperwork.”
“This year a tender has been processed allowing three beat workers in each ward of JMC-G. Let us see if we can finally deploy the beat workers. Many councillors had demanded more staff in each ward,” he added.
