Mumbai, May 19 -- Sweepers, hospital workers and office attendants employed with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) have protested against being assigned census duties, with their union claiming that semi-literate Grade-IV staff are being overburdened despite lacking the technical skills required for the exercise. The Municipal Mazdoor Union (MMU), which represents over 55,000 Grade-IV civic employees, has demanded that the BMC recruit educated unemployed youth instead of assigning sanitation and support staff to census work. "These (Grade-IV) employees are not even clerks and most are semi-literate, and many do not even have Android mobile phones. Besides, these workers are on duty from 6:30 am until the afternoon and are then forced to do double duty in the scorching afternoon sun," said MMU president Ashok Jadhav. According to the union, workers are struggling with both the digital process and the lengthy questionnaire. "There are almost 34 questions to ask, which sound downright silly, such as whether the wall is made of bricks or mud, if their family eats together, or whether they use piped gas or a cylinder." says Jadhav.A civic sweeper from Dharavi who was assigned census duty said he found the process confusing despite receiving training. "I studied only till Class 9. I simply do not understand this work or how to fill out the details, even after attending three days of training." He further claimed that employees are being asked to travel for census work after completing their regular work shifts. "I kept getting calls asking me to report for census duty 5km away from my work place. I was even told to take a cab right away. Will they pay for the taxi?"The union has also pointed to a severe manpower shortage within the civic body, claiming that over 75,000 posts remain vacant....