Work derailed in civic body, Food and Drug Administration office and schools with over half the staff members put on Census duty

Even as the biggest Census exercise started on February 9, Shailaja Sontakke, principal of Huzurpaga Girls School, offered a silent prayer. At least 25 of the 59 teachers from the school are involved in Census duty and Sontakke is hoping for a miracle to pull her school through the board examinations.

With bare minimum staff, the schools is dreading the next two weeks as not only is it the time for last-minute class revisions but also the time to conduct practical exams. Besides, they also have to make arrangements to hold the board examinations.

"Right now, practical exams are going on and soon board examination will begin. Half of our staff are involved in Census duties, so we are bound to face a problem in invigilation, paper checking, among others," she said.

Piraji Patil, deputy education officer of Zilla Parishad, said thousands of teachers from both public and private schools have been roped in for Census duty.

"Board exams are approaching and practical examinations have started, but we have to follow government orders. Schools have been asked to manage with shifts and teachers have been requested to work an extra two or three hours," he said.

A teacher from a private school complained that she ends up spending 15 hours a day working at her school and visiting houses assigned to her.

"We don't even get any conveyance and also people are rude to us and treat us like unwanted salespersons. We are teachers and yet have to face this humiliation. Why doesn't the government rope in the unemployed persons to do this job?" she complained.

At the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), 300 junior engineers are engaged in Census duty causing multitude problems in the routine work. Absence of these engineers has affected the ongoing roadwork, water supply, sewerage treatment and garbage collection. This has come at a time when the PMC has to complete its target work before the end of this financial year that ends on March 31.u00a0u00a0

Vijay Kapase, junior engineer, roads, said that since Census exercise began he has been working for more than 17 hours a day.

"I start my day at 8 am and work until 1 in the night overlooking asphalting of roads, among others. Still it is difficult to cope with the pending work," he said.

Santosh Jagtap, senior engineer from PMC, water supply, said that the work pressure on the staff was tremendous as there was shortage of junior engineers.u00a0

"Denying the Census work is a criminal offence and that's why we have to grin and bear it," said a junior engineer requesting anonymity.

The situation is no better at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) office where seven of the 11 food inspectors and six clerks have been deployed full time on census duty.

"All our regular work of carrying out raids, inspections of kitchens and chemists shops, renewing licenses, among others, has gone for a toss. Until February 28, we won't be able to take up any major raids as we have no manpower. In fact, the court cracked the whip on FDA yesterday demanding that schools and colleges be checked for sale of tobacco products but whom do I send on the field? Census has taken up most of my staff," said Sanjay Patil, joint commissioner, FDA Pune.