KOZHIKODE: The city is not stinking as yet. But it is just a matter of time. Two days into the indefinite strike by Kudumbasree workers engaged in door-to-door collection of solid waste within the corporation limits, a panic-like situation has emerged in several parts of the city, with residents clueless about handling waste generated at homes.
The workers, under the aegis of the Kozhikode Jilla Kharamalinya Thozhilali Union (KJKTU), have demanded that the corporation keep its 14-year-old promise to hire them as temporary workers. A meeting of the workers called by the Mayor on Saturday did not yield result as the their demands were unacceptable to the civic body. “Now, it is up to the government to decide. The council has sent a proposal to the State government in this regard,” said corporation health standing committee chairman K.V. Baburaj.
On the other hand, the workers are determined to go ahead with the strike and intensify it if necessary. “It is not just job security that we demand, but recognition too,” said KJKTU secretary P. Girija.
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For the record, solid waste management in the city was entrusted to Kudumbasree units 15 years ago as a pilot project in the State. Since then, the number of workers has come down from over 700 to around 400. Uncomfortable working hours, skin diseases, burden of loans, and lack of necessary equipment such as gloves, shoes, or raincoats were some reasons for them to drop out.
Meanwhile, the city reaped laurels on the cleanliness front. Kozhikode was the cleanest city in the State, according to 2017 Swachch Bharath rankings. In 2015, it was ranked 5th among non-metros in the country. The corporation authorities basked in the limelight, while Kudumbasree workers remained in the background as unsung heroes.
The civic body’s recent plans to revamp its waste management policy by introducing source-level waste management system have put Kudumbasree workers in panic mode. They fear for their jobs. Not even the corporation’s assurance that they could be incorporated as ‘Green volunteers’ have calmed them down and hence the strike, the first in 15 years.
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“Even human excrement collectors have been absorbed by the corporation. In our case, it has just been a lack of interest. We have been taken for granted for too long,” lamented Ms. Girija.
Along with job security, the workers have demanded the reinstatement of their health insurance scheme, which was dropped recently, as well health cards for ailing workers. Another meeting has been scheduled for Monday in which they expect a positive outcome.
Alternative arrangements
The Kozhikode Municipal Corporation has made alternative arrangements to collect solid waste from residences as the Kudumbasree workers have gone on strike. Mayor Thottathil Raveendran, in a press release, have requested the public not to dump waste on roadsides and empty plots and to make arrangements in their own plots to process biodegradable waste as much as