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B’luru civic workers demand safety gear after one dies of Covid
Bengaluru: A week after Bengaluru’s pourakarmikas (civic workers) held a protest outside the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) demanding safety gear for those cleaning the city streets, one of the city sweepers died of Covid-19 on Wednesday
Bengaluru: A week after Bengaluru’s pourakarmikas (civic workers) held a protest outside the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) demanding safety gear for those cleaning the city streets, one of the city sweepers died of Covid-19 on Wednesday.
51-year-old Susheelamma, a pourakarmika in ward 27 in east Bengaluru’s Banasawadi passed away after battling with the Covid-19. Soon after the incident, paurakarmikas in the ward staged a protest in the streets demanding better equipment for them. They demanded that they have not been provided with the required safety equipment even though they are frontline workers, and they perform a high-risk job.
Nayanamma, one of the sweepers at the protest said that the government has not provided them with any safety apparatus but also, they are made to walk for hours since no public transport is available. “We come to work every day knowing the risks involved in our jobs. Susheelamma was one of us and she is no more. The authorities have no paid attention to our demand for safety equipment and our demand for providing us transportation to reach our workplaces,” he said.
On April 28, pourakarmikas in Bengaluru staged a protest, demanding protective gears like masks and gloves. They alleged that for the past nine months, they have not been provided any masks or gloves.
In a letter to the commissioner of BBMP, BBMP Civic Workers’ Union demanded gloves, sanitiser and shoes for workers.
“We are working in these times without any facilities. We also humans, just like you,” said Rathna, a civic worker, in a statement to the media following the protest on April 28. “We have been working for many years and despite the Covid (pandemic), we continue to work. But we haven’t received any of the facilities that we should have. The last time we got masks and gloves was last year. We have been asking for three weeks but we still haven’t been given masks and gloves,” she added.
The workers have said that despite their protest, no safety gear has been provided to them and most importantly, many civic workers are yet to receive their vaccination.
