J&K Health department disengages part-time sweepers employed without proper procedure

Srinagar, Nov 04: The Health & Medical Education (H&ME) Department has disengaged all part-time sweepers who were engaged without following due procedure, officials said today.

A directive, issued by Shakoor Ahmad, Deputy Secretary to the Government, Health & Medical Education Department, stated that the engagement of part-time sweepers in health institutions lacked proper budget allocation and was not aligned with the current practice of outsourcing sanitation services.

"As a result, the services of these sweepers were continued without a legal basis. The services of these part-time sweepers were continued without any source of funding under any head/budget despite the fact that the whole assignment is now being done on an outsourcing basis. Therefore, there is no requirement or legal justification to continue the services of these part-time sweepers," reads an order.

In order to carry out the sanitation works in health institutions; a number of part-time sweepers were engaged by the subordinate offices without following due procedure for their engagements, read the order.

Further, the process of sanitation in the government offices including the Health Department has been outsourced by the government, as a result of which the wages in respect of these part-time sweepers, who were engaged in health institutions, remained unpaid due to non-availability of funds as their engagement was not covered under any regular budget allocation.

Due to the non-availability of remunerations, most of the part-time sweepers filed litigation in the courts for releasing their wages and the court, in case titled Mehraj Din Kumar and other vs Mr Pawan Kotwal & Others and in similar other cases, has passed directions for release of wages in favor of the petitioners.

"In view of the above, and in continuation to this office letter No. HD- Lgal/187/2023-02 (CC-7220191) dated 19.09.2023, I am directed to advise you to disengage all such part-time sweepers who were engaged without any due/proper procedure forthwith and identify the officers/officials who were responsible for the same so that disciplinary proceeding, as warranted under rules, shall be initiated against them for making such engagements without following proper procedure," read the order further.