He has just initialled the muster for himself, his mother and bed-ridden father, all conservancy staff workers with the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC). Between the three of them and the KDMC's unstinting generosity the Mokashis earn a cool Rs 18,000 per month. Suryakant has never soiled his hands with a broom; his parents gave up the practice long ago.

``Sarkar hamara achcha khyal rakhti hai (The government takes good care of people like us),'' Suryakant chuckles, refusing to so much as hint at his monthly income from the three rickshaws he owns. The gold chains and rings he wears have redefined the safai kamgar as one who more likely cleans out the civic coffers than the choked gutters lining the streets.

While many conservancy workers sport the latest models of motorcycles, whichthey ride to work, the mukadams drive air-condtioned cars. In fact, at least five mukadams and three sanitary inspectors run money-lending businesses.

Statistics thrown up by chairperson of the KDMC Standing Committee, Vaman Mhatre, who `raided' attendance sheds in Dombivli (East and West) on November 13 and today, are startling: In 12 of the 16 sheds, where conservancy staff have to sign the muster daily, he found that of the 577 workers, only 323 turned up in the morning. By noon, when the workers have to return to initial the muster, the number had dwindled to a shocking 92 (See box).

There are 1,300 conservancy workers in Kalyan and Dombivli, whose work is supervised by 31 sanitary inspectors and 120 mukadams. Only, that is a misnomer since the mukadams who spoke to Express Newsline that about 40 per cent of the staff don't work.

So how do the staff get around signing the muster? ``The local sanitary inspector and mukadam get 10 per cent of our monthly earnings,'' cribbed one of them, grumbling howthe rate has risen from 8 per cent last year. He doesn't mind though. It still means he earns over Rs 4,000 a month.

Depending on the number of years of service, salaries of conservancy staff range between Rs 4,000 and Rs 6,500 per month.Confronted by the statistics, union leaders grow extremely defensive. Whittling down the number of truant workers to 10 per cent, Madhu Joshi of the Municipal Mazdoor Union claims the figures are exaggerated.

``But as a union, we have to support them when they get memos,'' he says.Deputy Municipal Commissioner (divisional in-charge of Dombivli) told Express Newsline that, ``The problem of absenteeism is due to the 74 aged workers who are still on the rolls in spite of crossing the retirement age. They were all employed with the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) when it was still only a municipal council and records of their age are not available.

We are currently trying to medically determine their age and remove them in a phased manner.''Hiscounterpart in Kalyan, S R Pawar, adds: ``We shall soon put up boards outside the sheds where the attendance records can be seen by the public. These will be tallied with the musters and surprise headcounts of workers in the field.''