The new system of waste management, with a focus on waste treatment at source by having at least 80 per cent of the households use kitchen bins, could make around 100 women who used to collect waste from various wards jobless.
The civic body is now looking for ways to accommodate them in other projects. It has been a continuing plight for the Clean Well workers, who have been constantly shifted from one job to another, ever since they lost their permanent jobs after the closing down of the Vilappilsala solid waste treatment plant due to protests.
After the closing down of the plant, and after a round of protests from the workers, they were trained in the installation and maintenance of pipe compost in households. The pipe compost plan turned out to be a damp squib, as most households did not use it and so did not need any maintenance.
Soon, the workers were shifted to the local body’s mosquito eradication programme ‘Bye-Bye Mosquito’ across the 100 wards. Once this got over, they were redeployed to the door-to-door waste collection groups.
However, with the local body now moving towards a different system, where by the collection of waste will be gradually stopped and kitchen bins placed in most households, the services of the clean well workers might not be needed any more.
The Corporation has now made agreements with four accredited agencies for waste management – Harithagramam, We care, Pelican Foundation, and Haritha Nagaram – who will carry out the maintenance of the kitchen bins.
“There are around 100 Clean Well workers right now in the city. The Corporation does not have an official arrangement with them. But, we will still try to accommodate them in one of these agencies or in the Resource Recovery Centres, which are being set up in different wards. We have also given training to some of them in the making of cloth bags, which are intended to replace the plastic carry bags,” says an official of the Health wing of the Corporation.
Workers were left jobless after closure of plant
Corporation trying to give jobs and training to them
