Pune, 28th August 2026: City's waste collection workers, who often work in unhygienic conditions, are at the centre of a fresh controversy over the supply of protective equipment.
The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) had approved an ₹8.8 crore tender to provide essential items to waste workers, but the proposal is now being reconsidered, with the Standing Committee suggesting direct benefit transfer (DBT) to workers instead.
Around 4,100 workers, nearly 70 per cent of whom are women, are currently involved in door-to-door waste collection in Pune under the PMC’s agreement with SWaCH. Workers are supposed to receive items such as raincoats, gloves, masks, footwear, jackets and other work-related equipment every year.
The tender for this year was approved by the Standing Committee through the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) at a cost of ₹8.8 crore. However, after the approval, a dispute reportedly emerged over the alleged demand for a 10 per cent commission from the contractor before the work order could be issued.
The contractor is understood to have refused the demand. Following this, the proposal is now being reconsidered, with a suggestion to cancel the tender and transfer the money directly to the workers instead of supplying the equipment.
Standing Committee chairman Shrinath Bhimale denied the allegation of commission being sought and said the discussion surrounding DBT was unfounded. He said the administration itself had proposed the DBT option, following which the tender was reconsidered.
SWaCH has opposed the move, arguing that providing equipment directly to workers is the responsibility of the municipal corporation. The organisation also said workers may have to spend more if they are asked to purchase the items themselves from the retail market.
SWaCH chief executive officer Lubna Ananthakrishnan said the workers were already facing delays in receiving their equipment and that the organisation had opposed the DBT proposal. She said the items are often more expensive in retail markets and it would not be practical for workers to bear the cost themselves.
The proposed DBT arrangement covers around 45 items, including raincoats, socks, jackets, shovels, pickaxes and tubs. The civic administration is yet to determine how payments for such a wide range of equipment can be structured under DBT.
The dispute has already affected the distribution of equipment. The supply process has remained stalled for nearly 20 days, leaving workers without the required protective and work-related material.
Additional Municipal Commissioner Omprakash Dive has said the Standing Committee has taken the DBT decision and that the administration will discuss its implications with the municipal commissioner before deciding the next course of action.
The proposed DBT system has raised several concerns:
Workers may have to buy equipment at higher retail prices than the PMC could obtain through bulk procurement.
They may have to initially spend money from their own pockets.
Workers may not receive uniform or standardised equipment.
There may be no guarantee that the transferred money will actually be used to purchase the required equipment.
The funds could potentially be used for purposes other than buying work-related material.
For now, the dispute over the tender, DBT and the alleged commission demand has left Pune’s waste workers waiting for equipment that they require to carry out their daily work safely.