TOI IMPACT: 'Professional' drivers for fire tenders soon

NAGPUR: Realizing its mistake, Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has decided to replace aiwajdars driving fire tenders with professional drivers. However, in a questionable move, the proposal is to engage professional drivers through private agencies.
TOI had highlighted how aiwajdars (daily wage sanitary workers) were engaged in driving fire tenders at NMC, in a brazen violation of bylaws.According to NMC, around 800 of the total 4,854 aiwajdars were engaged in various types of works in different departments despite having been appointed to sweep the roads and clean drains. Shockingly, 72 of them were driving NMC's vehicles, including fire tenders.
Sources at NMC told TOI that municipal commissioner Shyam Wardhane has directed that the aiwajdars be replaced at the earliest. "Deputy municipal commissioner Rizwan Siddiqui prepared a proposal to replace the aiwajdars with professional drivers. But the plan is to engage the drivers through private agencies. The proposal will move further after getting Wardhane's consent," the sources said.
A couple of officials agreed that the proposal has both good and bad points. "The proposal fulfils the current need of replacing the aiwajdars driving fire tenders. The disadvantage is that the civic body is taking a risk by engaging private drivers on fire tenders. Such a thing has never happened anywhere in the state. Ideally, the drivers should be appointed through a recruitment process. The plan to hire private drivers is being mooted since the recruitment process will take a long time and might not be allowed due to the weak financial condition of NMC. There are no restrictions, though, on the fire department as it comes under emergency services," the officials said.
However, NMC has not taken any decision yet regarding aiwajdars driving vehicles in other departments, including the official cars of some top officials. One of the drivers told TOI that aiwajdars are driving the vehicles since a long time and should be recruited on permanent basis as professional drivers. "This step will end the ongoing controversy."