Modern machines, which will make the task easy for conservancy workers while cleaning the underground drainage system, will be given to each of the three municipalities in Theni district within a month, said National Commission for Safai Karamchari chairman M. Venkatesan.
He was speaking at a review meeting here on Tuesday in the presence of Collector K.V. Muralidharan, Superintendent of Police Praveen Umesh Dongre and officials from Adi Dravida Welfare, Education, Tamil Nadu Adi Dravidar Housing and Development Corporation (TAHDCO) and other departments. A large number of conservancy workers from various municipalities, town panchayats and village panchayats took part in the meeting.
Mr. Venkatesan received petitions from the workers and enquired about their working conditions and facilities. He said they should not lift night soil manually and should not do any work that is life-threatening. The sanitary workers should wear safety gadgets while cleaning hazardous or industrial or bio-medical waste, he said.
Speaking to reporters, Mr. Venkatesan said that corporation officials in Madurai hurriedly arranged to give a relief of ₹1 lakh to a conservancy worker, following a review meeting there on Monday. The worker had lost a part of his hand while discharging his duty. “Civic officials should not have a nonchalant attitude towards the workers,” he said.
Room for drivers
When pointed out about the plight of ‘108’ ambulance drivers of Theni Government Medical College Hospital, he said that the Collector had promised to redress their grievances in consultation with the Dean. The drivers had, in a petition, demanded a separate room for resting so that they need not share it with the crew handling COVID-19 patients.
Mr. Venkatesan also assured to look into the grievances of contract labourers regarding their wages and working hours.
