'Waste Free Jodhpur' project faces criticism as volunteers allege non-payment of dues

Days after its launch by actor Aamir Khan, the city's ambitious "Freedom from Waste" project has landed into a controversy with volunteers roped in by the Jodhpur Municipal Corporation (JMC) alleging exploitation and non-payment of dues.

A joint initiative by administration and JMC, the drive had set 18-month target to free the city from garbage completely. Five persons were engaged as Core Volunteers with the responsibility to handle a team of volunteers in all the 65 wards for survey and other required documentation. However, the core volunteers have alleged that they have been "cheated".

"We had been asked to undergo a training of 21 days and assured of a monthly honorarium in the bracket of Rs 8000-10000. "But with the training period of 21 days over on July 31, we have neither been given any certificate as per the commitment of the CEO of JMC Hari Singh Rathore, nor any payment," said one of the five core volunteers, Yogendra Singh Shekhawat.

Another core volunteer, Azaharuddin Khan, said: "We put in hard work to complete the tasks given to us but today instead of fulfilling the commitment, we have been ignored." "When we went to Rathore, he refused to talk to us and asked us talk to Shrinivasan instead," he said. "Rathore was the one giving directions to us. JMC also issued us identity cards designating us as the Chief Sanitation Inspector and that too with commitment to appoint us as the monitor for the waste management in the city on permanent basis after two-and-a-half year," Khan said.

However, Rathore said that there was no commitment made from their side regarding any payment.

"We had told them that if their work is satisfactory they will be hired further. We have engaged some of them from today itself on a fixed payment of Rs 5000 per month as we began the cleaning in vegetable and fruit mandis," he said.

When contacted, mayor Rameshwar Dadhich expressed ignorance about the drive and said he has not been taken into confidence while preparing and launching this scheme.

"However, issuing such identity cards, committing permanent jobs and roping in corporation's resources for survey purpose was completely illegal as no former approval was taken from me or the board," said Dadhich.