Visakhapatnam: after death of an employee, secretariat staff ask GVMC to appoint third party to collect user charges

Steep targets are being given for collection of garbage charges, they allege, adding that it is almost impossible to collect them in slums and most of the residential areas

The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) has come under criticism from secretariat staff and opposition parties after the death of a 40-year-old Environmental and Sanitary Secretary B. Chandramohan (Zone IV). Alleging mental stress due to work pressure from the higher authorities to collect user charges for garbage collection as the reason for the death of Chandramohan, the employees have been demanding that the GVMC immediately stop using them to collect user charges and appoint a third party for the purpose.

As per the secretariat employees, Chandramohan was given steep targets to collect user charges and was allegedly humiliated by the higher authorities for failing to meet them. In order to meet the targets, he had borrowed personal loans to the tune of ₹1 lakh and paid it. Later, he had again faced pressure to clear the loans.

“The ward where Chandramohan was working is a residential area, where majority of the population are workers and vendors. People do not pay the user charge so easily. At one stage of time, a few other employees had to help him in collection,” said a secretariat employee. He said that Chandramohan had shared his mental suffering a number of times.

Around 550 secretaries have been working in the sanitary and environmental wing under the GVMC limits. As per the secretaries, their main job is to ensure that the sanitation is maintained well in their limits, conduct inspections on shops, establishments, take up certificate issuing works and receive grievances from the public. But this apart, they are mostly engaged in collecting user charges.

While some people ask us to come later, a few residents shut their doors on our face. Many people enter into heated arguments despite explaining about the government’s norm, they say adding that it is almost an impossible task to collect the charges in slums and most of the residential areas.

The employees also say that the death of Chandramohan has clearly thrown light on the hardships faced by them on field. Not just him, there are many employees who are paying the user charges from their own pockets, unable to face pressure. They also complain that they are not being given casual leaves and a number of them have been undergoing stress due to work pressure and a few are suffering from health ailments.

“Most of us are well educated and have come into the job to serve people. But apart from serving people, we are acting as collection agents. There is no particular timing for our job. We start early in the morning and end late in the night. We have teleconferences and video conferences to assess our targets. We are the only wing which receives the most number of memos,” said a secretary.