Mangaluru: “Civic workers play an important role in maintaining the beauty of the city and they are the people responsible for the well-being of the entire city,” opined Dakshina Kannada district Deputy Commissioner Sindhu B Rupesh, here on Sunday, December 15.
She was speaking at a unique programme meant to felicitate the sanitation staff of Mangaluru City Corporation, organized by Uxcel, Institute for Excellence and Roshni Alumni Association (RAA) at the Milagres PU College. Sindhu said that the importance of the sanitation staff is realized only when they stop working.”The civic workers ignore their own health and clean the garbage. District administration expects the same co-operation from sanitation staff in the future too,” she said.
Monappa, a civic worker after receiving the felicitation expressed his pleasure over the unique felicitation programme and informed that the whole sanitation staff is overwhelmed.
“The city needs 1,500 civic workers, but only 750 workers are doing the work. Among them, 240 workers are permanent workers and remaining workers are on a contract basis, working for Antony Waste Management. As our work makes us vulnerable to diseases, we need to undergo health check-up at least once in three months,” he added.
MCC Commissioner Shanady Ajith Kumar Hegde presiding over the programme informed that the MCC has been conducting health check-up camps frequently free of cost and civic workers should utilize such opportunity. Though the organizers have arranged felicitation to over 500 workers, only around 100 workers turned out for the felicitation. However, the MCC would approach all sanitation staff and felicitate them,” he said.
Meanwhile, Employees Provident Fund (EPF) officer Ashok Kumar shed light upon the benefits of provident fund, insurance and pension scheme of the government and asked the sanitation workers to approach the EPF office for further information.
Yoga and meditation expert Devikar Purushotham demonstrated Yoga to the civic workers and asked them to pay attention to their health.
MCC Deputy Commissioner ( Administration) Dr. G Santhosh Kumar, environment engineers Shabarinath, Madhu S Manohar, Mangalore University English Professor Dr. Ravishankar Rao also spoke on the occasion.
Uxcel director Prof Maria C. D’Costa welcomed the civic workers in a different way by singing a song. She also made the civic workers sing the same song along with her. RAA president Dheeraj Shetty proposed vote of thanks.
