Jaipur: While Jaipur Municipal Corporation (JMC) has set up seven flood control rooms to tackle waterlogging and flood-like situations during the monsoon, many of the workers deployed there say they are being forced to manage without basic amenities despite remaining on duty round the clock for three months.
Flood control unit preparation ahead of monsoon at Collectorate in Jaipur, Rajasthan on June 27
The flood control rooms became operational on June 15 and will function until Sept. Their teams respond to emergency calls from the civic control room, rescue people trapped in flooded areas, pump out water from waterlogged localities and place sandbags to divert the flow of rainwater. Between eight to 15 workers are stationed at each centre throughout the three-month period, effectively making these facilities their temporary home.However, workers claim several centres lack essential facilities such as toilets, electricity, lights and coolers. They say repeated requests to contractors and supervisors have failed to resolve the problems, leaving them to rely on public facilities.At the main flood control room near Chinkara Canteen in Bani Park, worker Vishvendra Jatav said, “Around 30 to 40 workers are stationed here because this is the main control room. We provide emergency services such as rescuing people trapped in floodwater and draining waterlogged areas. Our biggest challenge is that there are no mobile toilets, although these used to be provided every year earlier. We have informed our contractor, but nobody is listening. For the past 12 days, we have been using the public washroom at Collectorate Circle.”Another worker, Satveer Singh, said, “We have only been provided with fans. We asked the contractor to arrange at least one cooler, but every day we are told it will come tomorrow. No one understands how difficult it is to manage basic needs here. Even stepping out at night to use the washroom becomes a challenge.”The situation is different but equally difficult at the Vaishali Nagar flood control room, which operates from a community centre. While toilets are available there, electricity remains a major concern.Worker Sunil Kumar said, “Water and electricity are major issues here. Sometimes, because there is no power and the mosquitoes are unbearable, we sleep near a public toilet. There are four tractor drivers and six workers here. Whenever we raise the issue, everyone passes the responsibility to someone else.”Responding to the allegations, JMC additional commissioner Narendra Kumar Bansal said, “This should not happen. We normally provide mobile toilets wherever required. If such problems exist, they will be investigated and the necessary arrangements will be made.”
