Hyderabad: Family of sanitary worker carries body in ‘garbage lorry’ for last rites

Nizamabad: Denied monthly wages, the family of a deceased sanitary worker shifted his body in a mini-lorry used to collect garbage in Nizamabad on Monday, triggering outrage.

Sources said Narsaiah, an outsourcing sanitary worker in the Nizamabad Municipal Corporation, died due to ill health on Sunday. He used to work in the Gangasthan Phase-I area of the city.

His family took the body for the last rites in the vehicle used to transport garbage as they were unable to pay for a vehicle.

A photograph of the incident went viral on social media on Monday.

Narsaiah’s family said that his wages for the last few months were pending with the municipal corporation. “Narsaiah was unable to get proper medication due to financial problems,” a family member alleged. A few of his colleagues mobilised donations to conduct Narsaiah’s last rites.

The Nizamabad corporation has 440 outsourcing workers, each of who is to be paid a wage of Rs 12,000 per month.

Around Rs 40 lakh worth of wages are due. There is no regular municipal health officer (MHO) to look after sanitary wing.

In-charge MHO, sanitary supervisor Sajid is on leave.

When contacted, Nizamabad municipal commissioner John Samson said the incident had not come to his notice. He said there were no wages pending.

Replying to a question, Mr Samson said there was no provision for the corporation to bear the funeral expenses of outsourcing workers.