The Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) has started acting tough against contractual workers who have failed to submit police/character verification certificates, despite repeated notices.
Stung by instances in which contractual staffers were found to be involved in anomalies and even crimes, the civic administration had decided to mandate police/character verifications of all such staffers working for private contractors and manpower supply agencies hired for developmental projects and other service-related works in November, last year. All heads of department (HOD) were also directed to file action taken reports (ATR) with the list of all contractual staffers.
However, a large chunk of the contractual manpower failed to undergo police verifications, prompting the civic administration to take stern action. While services of around 50 contractual workers were terminated from 1, August, deputy civic chief-Ravi Pawar in his circular stated that the onus of paying wages of unverified workers will be on the concerned heads of departments.
“Around 90 percent of the contractual workforce have complied by submitting the police verification documents. The remaining will face strict action.” claimed Pawar. There are around 3,500 people working for the MBMC on a contractual basis hired by private contractors and manpower supply agencies. The sanitation department tops with around 2,000 workers, followed by the public transport authority and water supply department with 450 and 300 workers hired by the private contractors respectively.
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Apart from the 105 computer operators and junior engineers hired by a manpower supply agency, there are around 200 staffers employed on a contract basis for the tree authority, responsible for maintaining gardens and playgrounds in the twin city. The move was aimed to ensure that none of the staffers employed by the contractual companies have a criminal background.
“Police verifications will soon be mandated for contractors too. Contracts will not be awarded to those with criminal backgrounds.” said a senior municipal officer.
Criminal Past
Six contractual workers were caught red-handed while indulging in a binge session inside an ambulance used to ferry patients.
A 27-year-old bouncer (private security guard) was arrested for sexually assaulting a 20-year-old married woman who was placed under quarantine in a Covid care centre in Bhayandar (east). -
Another 42-year-old bouncer hired by a private manpower agency to accompany anti-encroachment drives landed into the custody of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) for taking ₹15,000 bribe from a hawker.
