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Unsung heroes of the zoo
For the last two months the 200 odd outsourced employees at the Nehru Zoological Park have been punching above their weight to make sure that the visitors do not face any inconvenience. During summer, the number of visitors to the zoo trebles and the outsourced workers put in that much more hardwork to ensure that the zoo
While the zoo spends crores of rupees on animals, the 200 odd outsourced employees work for next to nothing
For the last two months the 200 odd outsourced employees at the Nehru Zoological Park have been punching above their weight to make sure that the visitors do not face any inconvenience. During summer, the number of visitors to the zoo trebles and the outsourced workers put in that much more hardwork to ensure that the zoo is kept clean and green. But the life of outsourced employees has not changed for the better for over a decade.
With salaries as low as Rs 6,700 (mali), Rs 8,400 (junior assistant), Rs 8,000 (driver), Rs 9,500 (computer operator), Rs 6,700 (animal keeper) the outsourced employees have been working tirelessly for years. Ramulu, (name changed on request) , an employee, says, “More than 50 per cent of the outsourced employees have been working at the zoo for more than five years and there are about 50 people who have put in 10 years of service.
We ensure that the day-to-day operations go on smoothly and are proud that the zoo is considered one of the cleanest in the country but our lives have not changed.” On an average about 10,000 to 13,000 people visit the zoo daily and on Saturdays and Sundays the number goes up to 25,000 to 30,000. On May 16, a Saturday, 24,000 people visited the zoo and on Sunday it touched 34,000.
Raghavendra, an engineering student and a regular to the zoo, says, “The regular staff of 180 is not enough to maintain 380 acres. The outsourced employees are the unsung heroes of the zoo.” The salary of the animal keeper is not even 20 per cent of the food bill of an elephant. The zoo spends Rs 25 lakh per year on five elephants.
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Ironical it may seem the salary of the animal keeper who feeds the elephant amounts to just Rs 6,700 per month. A worker at the zoo in a lighter vein said, “There is an animal adoption scheme at the zoo, I guess a human adoption too would be a good idea.”
By:T P Venu
