Ishtiyaq Ahmad
Early Times Report
Srinagar, Jan 14: The woes of sweepers are many and with nobody interested in their redressal, the unfortunate lot has been left to fend for themselves.
Altaf Ahmad (name changed), a middle aged sweeper from Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) had almost quit his job when his growing financial constraints made him report back to duty.
Every day, before his sweeping duty begins from 2 in the afternoon, Altaf does his daily tasks of going to the homes and delivers rice sacks from the ration depot, carrying them on his shoulders.
"Last month, I took a loan from a friend just to survive. I was left in a fix as I had no money to spend for daily expenses. I literally work on the pittance and it also comes after a four-month gap. How long shall I live like this?" he said.
Similarly, his colleague cleans a barber shop and few other houses before reporting for work in the evening cycle.
"Money remains a constant worry. Our monthly remuneration is so less that we can't survive on it alone. If cleanliness is so important, why are we given this step-motherly treatment and not paid a little more?" he said, wishing anonymity, who is a daily wager getting monthly remuneration of Rs 7,500.
Out of eleven sweepers on duty at the spot, not a single person is seen wearing a uniform. Moreover, they are sweeping without wearing any gloves and masks.
Nisar Ahmad (name changed) is an exception. He has disposable plastic gloves on. On inquiring how come he has got gloves unlike others, Nisar replies, "No, they are not provided by the SMC. My sister who works in the health department gave them to me as I had developed blisters by the frequent exposure to dust."
While the tussle over increased wages is being felt mostly in government institutions, where regular workers are unionised and have more bargaining powers. But for the daily wagers who almost do the same amount of work, hike seems like a distant dream.
To aggravate the problem, they are also deprived of the various provisions like safety gear including winter uniforms, gloves and masks.
An official said, "We have placed an order of 3,500 uniforms through state handloom department. Also, the purchase officer has been authorized to buy the required equipment including masks, gloves and gum boots."
He added, "These matters are on our priority list but there is a certain procedure to be followed in government departments which unfortunately takes time." |
