SIs are compensated anywhere between Rs 27,000 and Rs 35,000 and higher depending on the individual’s seniority
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Chennai: As many as 75 sanitary inspector (SI) posts in Chennai corporation remain vacant. With the corporation showing no urgency in filling up these posts, the daily monitoring of sanitation, hygiene and public health has been impacted across the city.
It is mandatory that at least one SI is in charge of a ward in the 200-ward Chennai corporation. Due to the shortfall, SIs have been asked to look into the affairs of an additional ward.
“We can only be at one division office in a day. So, the problem is we cannot attend to residents bringing in petitions or complaints about mosquito problem, storm water drain clogging and everything else,” said an SI requesting anonymity.
SIs are compensated anywhere between Rs 27,000 and Rs 35,000 and higher depending on the individual’s seniority. They feel the workload far outweighs the compensation they draw.
“It is tiresome. For every one of us, the day starts at 6.30 or 7 am and will go on until 7.30 pm. It is impossible to handle so many activities and do all of it properly,” the SI said.
The SIs told DC that around 42 people were selected for appointment earlier this year but, for no apparent reason, none of them was given an appointment order. When questioned, a corporation official said, “Previously, recruitment happened through the Employment Exchange. But as the process was long and many recruits were either old or showed little interest in remaining with the corporation, we decided on direct recruitment,”
Officials said that they are understaffed to the extent that even conducting recruitment was a strain. SIs branded the reason as a lame excuse. “Is the corporation suggesting that they cannot depute two or three senior officers and form a recruitment board?" an SI asked. If that is one aspect of the issue, finding eligible candidates to fill up these posts is another. Only one institute in the state, the Gandhigram Rural Institute in Dindigul, offers a PG diploma course for SIs, which is also the one mandatory qualification.
“These candidates all hail from Dindigul and neighbouring districts. After working for some time in Chennai, most of them request one way transfer to go back to their home town, leaving us short,” said an official. To compensate for this, the corporation mooted an idea to train SIs at the Communicable Diseases Hospital in Tondiarpet. However, that plan is yet to take off.
“Discussions are on and it is very likely that we will seek clearance from Medical Council with a view to starting the course from the next academic year,” a senior official said.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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