: Coimbatore Corporation has started collecting affidavits from conservancy workers on use of safety gear.
In the affidavit in Tamil, the workers, both on permanent employment and on contract, would have to give an undertaking that they were explained the features of the prevention of Manual Scavenging Act. Based on it they would not work without safety gear and that only under sanitary inspector or supervisor supervision they would work in underground sewer line or storm water drain and that too using machinery.
They would have to sign on the affidavit that also states they would not get into drains.
Sources in the Corporation said the civic body had stated collecting the affidavits as a fall out of a case filed by a Chennai-based Safai Karmachari Andolan before the Madras High Court.
Even as the Corporation was readying the process to collect the signed affidavits, the Corporation was confronted with the issue of a worker getting into a storm water drain in Selvapuram – an incident that was caught on camera.
The Corporation was forced to suspend a sanitary supervisor in this connection.
The sources said as the Corporation almost completed the process it had to face another similar issue – a worker in ward 34 got into the drain and the video went viral. On inquiry the Corporation had learnt that the worker did so with the help of a fellow worker, who shot the video, to impress his wife.
The worker had confessed to getting into the drain and arranging the video shoot in a statement he had given to the Corporation officials, the sources said and added that the Corporation would take a serious view of such video shoots as it led to unnecessary controversies.
Besides, the Corporation also wanted to drive home the point that the workers should comply with the rules and compulsorily use safety gear.
