Hyderabad: While promoting the Swachh Telangana-Swachh Hyderabad programme, many elected representatives, including Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, are inadvertently putting their health at risk by not using proper protective gear during the programme.
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Clearing garbage has remained unhygienic with irregular supply of protective gear for sanitation workers being a persistent problem. Workers’ unions and sanitation workers said that their elected representatives should at least put pressure on the corporation to provide protective gear regularly.
Majority of the 24,000 sanitation personnel who lift garbage aren’t provided with protective gloves or masks and other equipment.
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“The GHMC purchases masks and gloves in bulk. We have a written order in the corporation to provide each worker with eight masks per week. There is a little laxity at the lower rung of the administration and we are trying to fix it,” said an official from the GHMC’s health and sanitation department.
When asked what happens to the masks and gloves that are ordered but not distributed, the official did not comment.
Also, even though the Prohibition of Employing As Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013, prevents employing people to manually clean drains, the practise carries on unchecked in the city.
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General secretary of Bhagyanagar Municipal Employees’ Union Vinay Kapoor, said, “Workers who clean drains and sewers are worst impacted. The GHMC is supposed to provide 24 soaps and coconut oil, but the supply is irregular.”
Also, while employing people to clean choked drains manually is a non-bailable offence under the Prohibition of Employing As Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013, the practice goes unchecked amongst the civic bodies of the city and officials remain in denial mode.
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Also, even though the Prohibition of Employing As Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013, prevents employing people to manually clean drains, the practise carries on unchecked in the city ?
The workers who clean drains and sewers are the worst impacted. They are prone to critical skin diseases, which is why GHMC is supposed to provide 24 soaps and coconut oil to the workers.
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Around 600 workers are employed for manual cleaning whenever there is an emergency, however, the supply is highly irregular. It is an administrative lapse,? said Vinay Kapoor, General secretary of Bhagyanagar Municipal Employees Union Vinay Kapoor said, “Workers who clean drains and sewers are worst impacted. They are prone to critical skin diseases, which is why GHMC is supposed to provide 24 soaps and coconut oil to the workers.
