The entire Rural Water Supply network came to a standstill in Anantapur district with the workers in the two major schemes – Sri Sathya Sai and Sri Rama Reddy drinking water schemes – serving close to 2,000 villages went on a strike from Saturday, with talks failing on Friday.
While the Sri Sathya Sai scheme is operated and maintained by the L&T company, the Sri Rama Reddy scheme is maintained by the Rural Water Supply (RWS) Department. The 572 workers in the SSS scheme had been working in 1,100 villages in 44 mandals of the district and they were being paid by the L&T, which had been managing it for the past 25 years. From June 30, the L&T is learnt to have expressed its inability to run the scheme as ₹46 crore bills were pending from the State government and it stopped payments to workers.
Payments for the workers for the past six months, amounting to about ₹14.8 crore, were due, though the RWS officials had sent the bills to the government.
RWS Superintending Engineer D. Venkata Ramana told The Hindu that while they were trying to revive water supply from Sunday, they might be able to ensure 20% of it by deploying the department personnel supervised by the AEs. The talks would be held on Monday or Tuesday and the next course of action would depend on the government’s decision.
“Even if the L&T wishes to leave the O&M (operations and maintenance) completely, which they have not informed in writing, we are prepared to run the scheme with the available RWS staff,” Mr. Ramana said.
Regarding the Sri Rama Reddy scheme, the wages of the workers in CPW schemes pending till now besides the ESI and PF dues were being sought by the workers’ union headed by G. Obul Kondareddy.
The union has refused to come back to work unless their problems are resolved and enhanced wages announced from April 2021 with a new agreement.