Perhaps the SMC needs to take a leaf out of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation which has hired an agency to prepare a report on how to introduce transparency and administrative reforms in the corporation, opines a senior official.

He says the SMC should introduce a job chart, and a single shift system for sweepers. Also it should not make one officer in-charge of two departments.

Currently, 8000-odd sanitary workers have to report for duty at 7.30 am in their respective wards and work from 7.30 to 11.30 am and 2.30 to 5.30 pm. For the second shift, they have to report at 2.30 pm. While the supervisor is required to take their attendance, it takes more than two hours to complete the formality, inconveniencing the workers, especially those coming from distant places.

The official suggests that sanitary workers should be given only one shift with a 30-minute recess and the corporation should provide attendance punching machines in each ward.

According to him, a job chart is lacking in SMC. He says in the chart's absence, neither the work to be performed by an employees can be ``measured'', nor workers' liability can be fixed. The work that an employee is supposed to perform remains ``vague and undefined,'' he points out.

Stating that though computers have been installed in every department as a part of the computerization programme, he claims till date the SMC did not appoint any trained personnel or a a system manager or a programmer.

He says while the SMC has given a contract to an Ahmedabad-based software agency for the purpose, it could with the amount easily train its staff, which would also help curtail the expenditure.

Referring to the Finance and the Personnel department, he says, the civic body should have officers independently looking after these departments. ``But here, we have K C Mehta, who is the assistant finance commissioner as well as the west zone's in-charge. While C J Gamit is looking after the Katargam zone, besides the Personnel department, Deputy Commissioner(general) Ashwin Mehta is also in-charge of the Udhna zone.''

He also alleges that the SMC has got its priority wrong. It has become a member of the Surat Management Association by paying Rs 25,000, which is useless, as the association holds seminars and workshops in Hotel Holiday Inn, which is hardly any use for the SMC, he says.

Stressing the need for administrative reforms, former mayor Ajit Desai says unless the mayor in council system is introduced, no substantial reforms can be initiated. Desai alleges that while the municipal commissioner claims he is doing everything in the interest of the city, at times he throws the BPMC Act to the wind. The collection of development fund from builders, is one such decision taken by him, which is not consonant with the Act, he claims.