Mumbai: 8,000 BMC staff on election duty while civic work waits

Additional municipal commissioner writes to Suburban District Collector seeking exemption for civic staff from poll duty; while civic body awaits his response, he claims he has already exempted BMC staff

Thousands of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) health department employees continue to be missing from civic duty, though the Mumbai Suburban District Collector has exempted them from election duty. The additional municipal commissioner (health) had written to the collector with a request for exemption for BMC staff about two weeks back. But while the BMC health department is still waiting for a response from the collector's office, he claimed that he had exempted BMC staff last week.

Civic duties suffer

Hundreds of people are falling ill in the city due to the rising temperature. Civic-run hospitals have reported around 30 per cent rise in the patients coming to them in the past one month. However, BMC officials responsible for handling such cases, and helping with pre-monsoon preparation to control dengue, malaria etc, are missing. With just few days left for the 17th Lok Sabha election, they have been stationed on election duty. After receiving several complaints from BMC employees, Idzes Kundan, additional municipal commissioner, had written to Mumbai Suburban District Collector Sachin Kurve, seeking exemption of employees from election duty.

As many as 8,000 BMC employees who mostly work in the class III and IV level have been assigned election duty. Almost 40 per cent of the health department is reeling under a shortage of staffers because of this. Pest-control officials, lab technicians, sanitary inspectors, medical officers, pharmacists and medical dispensary officials (except doctors) have also been assigned election duty. As a result, primary healthcare and pre-monsoon infection control work have halted.

Communication gap?

Kundan said, "Most of the officials who have been called for election duty are Class III and IV employees, but I have sought exemption for all employees (Class I-IV). Let's see, how much exemption we get." Recently, an employee with the BMC health department was sent a letter from the collector's office after he failed to join election duty. The letter stated that if he fails to report for duty within eight hours, the assistant commissioner would be held responsible.

However, Kurve said that he has already exempted BMC employees from election duty, so that health care isn't affected. "Pradeep Vyas from the state health department, and BMC officials have met me with the request to exempt officials, as dispensaries and other departments were getting affected. And we have already processed the request and exempted most of them. As it is a democratic process, we need government officials for the arrangements, but health officials, we will mostly utilise on the polling days," said Kurve.

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