Gyanbachi Mekh | 31.5 | Bhairavnath Wakale
(Public Issue) Questions have once again emerged regarding who is actually responsible for cleaning state highways passing through Ahilyanagar city. Concerns are being raised that sanitation workers of the Ahilyanagar Municipal Corporation are unfairly burdened with cleaning roads, rainwater drains, and highways that fall under the ownership of the Public Works Department (PWD).
(Public Issue) Major roads passing through the city, including Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Road, Manmad Road, Solapur Road, Pune Road, and Kalyan Road, fall under the jurisdiction and ownership of the state government’s Public Works Department. However, cleaning operations and drain maintenance on these roads are reportedly being assigned to municipal sanitation workers by senior officials. Critics describe the situation as contradictory – “ownership belongs to the state government, but the labor falls on the municipal corporation.”
(Public Issue) Critics further argue that while many internal roads and residential colonies within the city continue to face sanitation issues, municipal workers are being diverted toward highway cleaning, negatively affecting local cleanliness management.
Another concern raised is that municipal workers’ unions have allegedly not taken a strong stand on the issue. Dissatisfaction is reportedly growing among workers as additional responsibilities increase while unions remain silent.
Demands are now emerging for the Ahilyanagar Municipal Corporation to assess sanitation work carried out on PWD-owned roads and seek separate financial recovery for those services. It has been suggested that just as citizens pay property tax, water tax, and sanitation tax, a similar “cleanliness tax” should be recovered from the Public Works Department.
It is further being urged that municipal representatives, the mayor, commissioner, and health officials discuss the matter seriously in the next general body meeting and recover costs from the PWD. Observers argue that if the additional burden on sanitation workers is to be reduced, a clear division of responsibilities and financial accountability has become essential.
The commentary concludes with the argument: “The owner of the road should bear the cost of its cleanliness – otherwise, municipal workers and citizens will continue to face injustice while city sweepers remain occupied on highways.”
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