Excelsior Correspondent
UDHAMPUR, Nov 1: For the last 19 years, Ram Lal has been serving at Government Middle School Jansal Zone Majalta in Udhampur as a waterman. His job is to make sure that students and teachers find the school neat and clean when they arrive in the morning and there is proper provision of potable water. Besides, Ram Lal serves water to students throughout the day for which he was earlier being paid just one rupee and now two rupees per day.
Like Ram Ral, around two thousand watermen and water-women are serving in various schools across the State.
While on the one hand State Government has made a financial provision for procurement of 100 SUVs for Ministers and MLAs, nothing is being done for the welfare of these poor workers who in turn just believe that serving children is as good as serving humanity and hence they are doing their job.
“We have moved several applications from Chief Ministers to Ministers but all fell into the deaf years. We had a hope from the present Government to resolve our issues, but till date nothing has been done on ground”, said Ram Lal.
“I have turned 55 this year and there are only five more years to retire from the school. I had joined the school in 1996 with the hope to get absorbed in the Government sector. But it seems , as if, I will retire without getting absorbed on permanent job”, he added.
Darshana Devi is working in the Central Middle School Udhampur since 1997. Her job is to make sure that students and teachers could get adequate drinking water for them. For this purpose, she keeps ready clean water in a camper. However, in a State where the Government has fixed Rs 150 as minimum daily wages for unskilled labour, Darshna gets a salary of Rupees 425 per month.
“Record of all water women and men working in different schools of Udhampur district have been furnished to Government for appropriate action, but the problem persist that workers have no appointment letter with them and there are no treasury Vouchers Number and date and head of account from which they have been paid” said Bishan Singh, Chief Education Officer, Udhampur. Like wise minimum qualification for the post of water women and men is middle pass but all the workers engaged, either are illiterate or 5th or 6th pass which creates hindrance for the Government in formulation of their policy, he added.
“Govt has no information about the so called water man or women engaged in various schools of the State, as and when their record is made available, Government will try its level best to solve the issue”, said Priya Sethi Minister of State for Education.
When contacted, Minister of State for Finance, Pawan Gupta said that profile of water woman and men will be forwarded to the Government and their case will be processed according to the rules.
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