Cleaning at Maharashtra ST bus stations only on paper, union seeks fresh tender

Passengers at Maharashtra's ST bus stations, often called the state's lifeline transport, deserve a clean, safe and hygienic environment, but cleaning work has fallen badly behind at many locations. If conditions do not improve, the authorities should not merely serve notices and wait but should cancel the existing cleaning tender and float a new one, Shrirang Barge, general secretary of the Maharashtra ST Karmachari Congress, has demanded.

Complaints about cleanliness in the ST system have been continuous, which is why a private agency was appointed to clean bus station premises, staff rest rooms, station toilets and buses. However, complaints have emerged that the expected standard of cleaning has not been maintained in several divisions. Barge specifically pointed to toilets at major bus stations, where the cleanliness problem is becoming serious due to heavy passenger footfall combined with insufficient staff and inadequate supplies.

About four months have passed since the new contract was awarded, yet there has been no improvement in cleanliness and complaints have kept rising. Transport Minister and ST Corporation chairman Pratap Sarnaik has also expressed displeasure over this and directed the administration to take clear action. Barge said that if the concerned officers are not working responsibly or are shielding the contractor, action should be taken against such negligent officers. He also demanded that if the cleaning agency's work does not improve, the contract should be cancelled and a fresh tender process should be run.

According to Barge, cleanliness is not merely a matter of convenience for passengers and staff but is directly linked to their health, a very important issue. Thousands of passengers travel through ST stations every day, so there is a need for adequate staff and an effective system to keep staff and passenger toilets and bus station premises clean round the clock. But at present this does not appear to be happening.

He said that since the contractor has not fulfilled the terms of the agreement, the standard of work is unsatisfactory and complaints keep coming in, a strict decision is needed instead of merely issuing a show-cause notice and protecting the contractor. Barge demanded that while cancelling the current tender and floating a new one, the conditions relating to staff numbers, quality of work, regular inspection and fixing of accountability should be made stricter.