Officers must visit settlements to understand the scale of the problem.
- After assembly elections, sanitation in Kadma and Sonari has worsened.
- Contractors for sanitation work in Kadma and Sonari are missing, leading to growing dirt
- The former minister deployed 25 sanitation workers for personal use
Mail News Service
Jamshedpur, Jan 21: Saryu Roy, the MLA for Jamshedpur West, has issued a strong message to officials at JNAC and Tata Steel UISL, emphasizing that public welfare work must be carried out in the true spirit of service, without any bias or favouritism. He stated, “Whether it’s a minister involved or someone showing muscle power, you cannot give priority to them with a batch of workers and remain silent when it comes to the public. This cannot go on any longer.”
During a meeting with key officials including JNAC’s Deputy Municipal Commissioner, Tata Steel UISL’s General Manager RK Singh, Sanjiv Jha from the Water Supply Department and Amit Singh from Tata Land, Roy expressed his concerns regarding the deterioration of public services.
Roy highlighted the worsening sanitation situation in Kadma and Sonari areas after the assembly elections, noting significant gaps in cleanliness and water supply systems. He criticized the excessive charges for drinking water connections in the settlements, stating that they were unaffordable for the residents. Roy also pointed out that Tata Steel UISL had previously deployed 25 sanitation workers in these areas under the supervision of the then MLA and minister. However, as soon as the elections concluded, these workers disappeared from their duties.
While Roy clarified that he did not want these workers to operate at his command, he emphasized the ethical responsibility of Tata Steel UISL to deploy these workers through JNAC for the betterment of sanitation services. He urged Tata Steel UISL to reconsider its water connection charges, as these were set by the government but were not necessarily mandatory. He encouraged the company to provide relief to the residents, especially the poorer communities, by reducing the rates.
Roy further observed that the sanitation contractors, such as Sai Construction and Seva Sahyog, had also vanished from Kadma and Sonari after the elections, which had led to heaps of garbage accumulating in these areas. He stressed that sanitation workers must be visibly working in these areas. Roy said, “If the workers are not seen on the streets, I will inquire with the municipal corporation on January 25 about how many workers have been deployed. If not, I will push for legal action.”
Expressing his concern about the shifting of responsibilities, Roy criticized the change in agreements, where Tata Steel UISL had previously agreed to manage sanitation and waste collection in these areas but was now declining to do so. He called for clarification about the sudden reversal in commitments and warned that if Tata Steel UISL refused to fulfil its sanitation and water obligations at reasonable rates, alternatives would be sought. Roy concluded by saying, “The formation of the Industrial Township Committee would be meaningless if Tata Steel UISL does not uphold its responsibilities.”
