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Pourakarmikas broomsticked between Corporation and waste collection unit war

Pourakarmikas Broomsticked Between Corporation And Waste Collection Unit War
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Waste handling is the one task that no one wants to do and the Pourakarmikas who do it are generally kept at bay by people. Have we ever tried to speak to them? Have we tried to understand their point of view? It’s been over a year since the waste handling of the smart city Mangaluru has been handed over to Antony Waste Handling Unit, Mangaluru. What are the changes that we can find since then? Does the city look more cleaner and garbage free? Has the garbage been collected from your home directly? It’s time for an evaluation and look through the perspective of the each other.
In this evaluation, the Pourakarmikas have their share of grievances to share. Harish, Antony waste pickup driver speaking to newskarnataka.com said, “We are facing a lot of problems and we have not received our salary from 2 months i.e. October and November 2016. We had closed our services for 2 days (15th and 16th December) so that our salaries are paid. They have given us hopes of paying our salary soon. We are helped by our union and some of our problems are solved through them. But this main problem of salary is to be tackled. The company has spoken about PF which is only applicable to some; some have not received the PF number and we are neither sure of it being there.”

“Picking up the waste is a really difficult task; sometimes the foul smell is too much to bear. The main reason behind putting down our brooms is that we are not paid our hard earned salaries. Those who have accounts are given salaries but out of 800 workers only about 150 have accounts. Those of the rest are in process. Now, what do workers without accounts do? It’s difficult to work in these conditions. We too have families and if we are not paid what do we do?,” laments a Pourakarmika.

Santosh Nair, Operations Head, Antony Waste Handling Cell Pvt. Ltd, speaking to newskarnataka.com about their services said, “There is a need for public support and cooperation from the people to manage the waste. There is a problem of public littering unscientifically because of which the city looks dirty and diseases spread. We hope the necessary public participation will improve in days to come.”

“The Pourakarmikas have their own share of problems. We don’t get people here to work and we have to hire manpower from outside. This work has a lot of stigma attached to it and people don’t really want to do this work. Further, treatment for injuries that the workers are exposed to in the line of duty is another serious problem that we face. Hospitals do not respond to the immediate need of these labourers. These people are humans too; they too need medical aid and the hospital authorities have to understand the need and help the workers during injuries. These labourers too work for the betterment of the society and they need all the attention and care. We have a helpline through which we can be reached. It is 7022977557,” Nair highlighted.

However, Mayor Harinath expressed a more unhappy view regarding this initiative. Speaking to newskarnataka.com, he said, “The Antony Waste Handling Unit, in the first three months of the contract gave their best, and its work was really appreciated. But the present scenario is different. The unit is not going everywhere to collect the waste, especially in Marakada. This is making the people dump waste on the road sides. There is no payment issue as such. Only the last two months’ payment is pending as the bills are not ready. Rest of the payment to the tune of Rs 2.20 Crore has been cleared.”

“The work is done only in the city limits but the outskirts are ignored. There is no proper sweeping or cleaning of drainages. We need to tell them every time to do small things like cutting the grass or cleaning the roads. The active initiative that was there in the beginning is diminishing now. A seven-year contract was signed with Antony Waste Handling Unit and now this seems to have become a liability for us. I had suggested starting a similar initiative of waste handling with a ward-wise approach but it was turned down” the Mayor complained.

In this kind of a scenario, the view that is of importance is of the public itself. Speaking to newskarnatka.com, Lalitha of Vamanjoor said, “The waste that we give is packed in plastics and is taken by Antony Waste Management Unit. The services we see are good and the initiative is appreciable. This helps a lot to keep the city clean and beautiful. However, sometimes there is a delay in collection of waste from our doorsteps even to the extent of two to three days.”

Maurice, highlighting the need of waste segregation said, “I agree that some of us just pack the waste carelessly and give it to the collectors. Even if some segregate it properly and give, the same is dumped together in the same vehicle. If the segregation part was made clear to the collectors as well, then the idea would work in a much better way.”

At the end of the day, the Pourakarmikas who keep the city clean are the ones bearing the brunt. With a greater heart, they work towards the city’s cleanliness. We never might have thought from their point of view but it’s high time we understood them too. Let us not treat the Pourakarmikas as mere scavengers but as human beings. The least that we can do is give a “Smile” and say “Thanks” when they come to our doorsteps to pick our waste.

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Pourakarmikas broomsticked between Corporation and waste collection unit war
Pourakarmikas broomsticked between Corporation and waste collection unit war
Pourakarmikas broomsticked between Corporation and waste collection unit war
Pourakarmikas broomsticked between Corporation and waste collection unit war
Pourakarmikas broomsticked between Corporation and waste collection unit war
Pourakarmikas broomsticked between Corporation and waste collection unit war
Pourakarmikas broomsticked between Corporation and waste collection unit war

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