MARGAO
For generations now, men and women from this migrant basti behind Cine Lata in the commercial capital have been literally manning the city’s sanitation and cleanliness “ be it sweeping of the roads, garbage collection and disposal, sanitary work et al.
Sadly, for these 100-odd safai karmacharis or Margao Municipal Council workers employed in the sanitation section for sweeping of streets and collection of tons of garbage generated in the commercial capital and transporting the waste to Sonsodo, descent housing funded by the civic body is still a far cry.
In fact, certain areas near Cine Lata, Khareband and to some extent Chinchal may play host to clusters inhabited by the city’s sanitation workers over the years. Yet, housing quarters for these categories of sanitary workers have not seen the light of day till date.
Inquiries by The Goan in the wake of the visit by the member, National Commission for Safai Karmacharis Dilip Hathibed has revealed that the Municipality has only paid lip service to the housing needs of these section of employees. While Hathibed has been categorical in stating that sanitation workers are indeed entitled for housing quarters to be provided by the local civic body with central assistance, not a single safai karmarchari employed by the Margao Municipal Council has been provided with a residential quarter till date.
Says Goa Municipal Employees Association General Secretary, Anil Shirodkar: “In every settlement worked out with the Margao Municipal Council, the Union lays stress on the housing needs of the Municipal workers, but in vain. Every time, we raise the demand for housing, the Municipality wriggles out of the situation by harping on non-availability of land.”
Shirodkar said the Municipal workers had in the past zeroed in on the Margao Municipal Council acquired land admeasuring 30,000 sq mts at Sonsodo, but in vain. Similarly, he said the Municipal Union had pushed with the Municipal authorities to earmark the land acquired for the pick-up stand at Malbhat for employees’ housing, but that too did not find favour with the City Fathers and the Municipal babus.
Hopes were raised a year ago that the migrants inhabiting the Cine Lata basti, many of whom are employees of the Margao Municipality, may be rehabilitated at Comba on the 7,000 sq mtrs of acquired land for people displaced by the Ring Road project. Locals of Comba, however, have insisted that only locals of Comba, who will be displaced by the Ring Road project, should find a place in the acquired area, while opposing settlement of outsiders on the acquired land.
MMC Chief Officer Johnson Fernandes said the Municipality is not averse in providing housing quarters to the sanitation workers if they qualify for accommodation under the central government schemes. He, however, hastened to add that the problem lies with the availability of land.
On the land acquisition for the rehabilitation of people displaced by the Ring Road project, the Chief Officer said that if the land admeasuring 7,000 sq mtrs in question has been acquired for rehabilitation of the displaced families, there’s no reason why the inhabitants of the Cine Lata basti, many of whom are Municipal employees, should not be rehabilitated on the acquired land.
