The Shiv Sena ruled Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) found itself in a controversy after it responded to a citizen complaint with the picture of a BMC worker indulging in manual scavenging, outlawed in India.
Sir, Your Complaint has been attended. Checkout the Photographs attached herewith. pic.twitter.com/TkrTVTJ8fC
— WARD L BMC (@mybmcWardL) December 2, 2021
BMC was responding to a citizen who had raised a complaint on Twitter, saying that sewage water was flowing on the streets in Saki Naka. “Sandas water is flowing, Near sai siddhi medical near sharma school..90 feet road, manishabar , m.72”, said one Ajay Rajak on Twitter.
In response, the BMC responded with the picture of a worker removing human waste with his bare hands. The worker was seen scavenging in a manhole without wearing any protective gear, endangering his health.
Several Netizens raised questions and tweeted to BMC, asking why this worker was not provided with protective gear and why after the Court specifically pulled up the civic body to end manual scavenging, was the civic body promoting it.
“Why is manual scavenging not eradicated despite court order”, asked one netizen.
Why manual scavenging isn't eradicated from Maharashtra even after HC's intervene? pic.twitter.com/CYZL3RXg8C
— Motivism (@Motivism) December 2, 2021
“We have reached nowhere”, said another.
Shame. A human being used to manually scavenge sewers in an indication that we have reached nowhere .
— Mini Nair (@minicnair) December 3, 2021
We are the richest corporation . Please think about machine applications here . @mybmc @OfficeofUT
Another said that without any machines or protective gear, this man was being asked to become a machine to clean human waste. “This is a human rights violation and we are sharing pics on Twitter”, he said.
No protection gear.
— Amit (@amit_tushar) December 3, 2021
No professional equipment.
His body is being asked to be a machine continuous to the task of cleaning our filth.
This is a human rights violation in progress and we are sharing pics on twitter.
Truly a sick society. https://t.co/QR1GsjpRxK
“Richest Municipal body of the richest state can’t provide protective equipment to its workers and promoting manual scavenging shamelessly on social media”, said another Netizen.
Richest Municipal body of the richest state can't provide protective equipment to its workers and promoting manual scavenging shamelessly on social media. https://t.co/rrDugikOxz
— Shashank Pandey (@shawshank_9) December 3, 2021
It is pertinent to note that BMC is the richest civic body in the country. For the year 2021-22, the BMC’s budget was Rs 39,039 crores.
In the 11.51 crore surplus budget, the civic body is expecting a revenue of Rs 27,811.57 crore from various sources, including property tax, water and sewage charges, compensation in lieu of octroi and DP fees, which is Rs 636 crore less as compared to the Rs 22,448 crore estimated revenue of FY 20-21.
The civic body increased its budget allocation for health care to Rs 4,728 crore from Rs 4,220 crore in FY 20-21.
Not only is the BMC budget substantial, but it was also reported recently that the FD reserves of BMC had surged to Rs 82,410 crore. The Rs 82,410 crore reserve is present in 343 separate FDs at private and public banks. As per the daily, the BMC earns around ₹1,800 crores as interest per year on fixed deposits.
While being the richest civic body, netizens rued that they had completely ignored their workers not only endangering their lives but insensitively posting their pictures on Twitter.
In September, the Bombay High Court had pulled up the Maharashtra government after several manual scavengers had died. The court had ordered the government to pay Rs 10 lakh compensation to each worker who had died in 2019. Additionally, the court had observed that despite “strict legislative intent” as per the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013, the “shameful practise continues” and the same should “shock the collective conscience of the society.”
BMC okays Rs 15 crore tender to upkeep penguins brought in by Aaditya Thackeray
While the BMC, the richest civic body, does not seem to have the resources to provide protective gear to its workers, on November 29, the civic body approved a Rs 15-crore proposal for three years of maintenance of the penguin habitat at Byculla zoo. The penguins, owned by the Mumbai Zoo, were brought in from Seoul, South Korea, in July 2016 by the current Cabinet Minister of Tourism and Environment for the Government of Maharashtra, Aaditya Thackeray for Rs. 2.5 crores.
The proposal, according to the media outlet, was approved by a Shiv Sena-led panel, despite the BJP’s opposition to the spending, claiming that the cost of upkeep was too expensive and alleged irregularities in giving the contract to tainted companies. Interestingly, the proposal to spend the whopping sum to recreate a natural habitat from the penguins was not only opposed by BJP but Shiv Sena’s ally Congress too. Congress had criticised BMC over the tender worth Rs.15 crores+, terming the project a waste of money.
Meanwhile, justifying its decision to sanction the hefty sum for the habitat maintenance of the penguins, BMC claimed that after the penguins were brought in 2017, revenue from the zoo was jumped by Rs 12.26 crores. The number of visitors climbed by roughly 30% after the penguin exhibit opened in March 2017, while revenue soared by nearly 500% after the BMC raised the price of entry tickets drastically that same year.
