Pune: Over a thousand waste pickers under the SWaCH Cooperative staged a protest in front of the PMC office on Friday against “unfair clauses” in their upcoming five-year contract with the civic body. Waste pickers argue that the contract includes provisions that penalise them for issues beyond their control, such as receiving a single citizen complaint or being unable to collect waste due to the unavailability of Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) vehicles. They are also challenging a clause that could potentially strip them of their contracts in favour of private contractors.
“Penalties and threats of work suspension for waste pickers handling waste from 10 lakh Pune households is not justified. PMC is trying to bring in private contractors which we oppose,” said Sarika Karadkar, a waste picker from Kothrud. Sandip Kadam, the head of the solid waste management department of PMC, said, “There is a clause to impose a fine if SWaCH workers do not work properly, which they do not want.
We fine the citizens if they litter and PMC staff if they make a mistake. The PMC waste collection vehicle is sometimes late but that is due to traffic. We have asked them to submit their demands and put in front of the commissioner who will take a decision on the contract.
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