Mumbai civic body worker commits suicide, union stages protest

The workers alleged the BMC failed to pay the arrears of all the 130 sanitation workers it dismissed

sagar.pillai@htlive.com

Sumati Devendra hanged herself to death after allegedly not being paid her arrears (Pic for representation)

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) union of conservancy workers staged a protest on Thursday at the BMC head office opposite Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus over the suicide of one of the conservancy workers, who they said had been fired in defiance of a Bombay high court direction. The agitators also brought to the protest the corpse of the sanitation worker, who committed suicide on Wednesday after the civic body allegedly failed to pay her salary arrears of around Rs 1 lakh.

The workers alleged that the BMC had failed to pay the arrears of all the 130 sanitation workers it had dismissed.

Sumati Devendra (29), a conservancy worker with Andheri’s civic ward (K west), was fired by the civic body six months ago and had been struggling since then to get her full and final payment. Members of the union gathered at the head office and shouted slogans against the corporation.

Milind Ranade, general secretary of Kachra Vahatuk Shramik Sangh (KVSS), said, “The BMC fired 130 sanitation workers from the Bandra and Andheri civic wards despite Bombay high court’s direction to make them permanent employees. Devendra could not proceed without any salary and decided to end her life by hanging herself. She is survived by her nine-year-old daughter. The civic body fired these workers in order to get labourers on cheaper wages.”

Ranade further alleged that civic officials have siphoned off the money that was supposed to be paid to the workers. “There were several deductions in the salaries of conservancy workers, which were supposed to be added towards the overall Provident Fund amounts. However, the workers never received a single penny from that amount,” said Ranade.

While protesters demanded strict action against officials, civic officials from the solid waste management (SWM) department have refused to comment on the matter. Repeated calls to Vijay Balamvar, deputy municipal commissioner (SWM), went unanswered.