Delhi MCD workers subjected to taunts

Singh has been spraying mosquito larvicide in drains for the last 13 years, for a monthly salary of Rs 13,300, which, he says is meagre, compared to what the abroad returns, whose houses he is spraying disinfectant in, make.

Forty-four-year-old Lekhraj Singh has been suffering shoulder pains at nights over the last week. A field worker of the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC), he carries a 10-litre backpack tank of disinfectant to spray at quarantined households every day.

Men spray disinfectants during a sanitization effort by the Tibetan community at Majnu ka Tilla. (Mohd Zakir/ Hindustan Times)

“Even the heavy laptops you carry on your back to office don’t weigh more than three kilos,” he says, with a smile.

Singh has been spraying mosquito larvicide in drains for the last 13 years, for a monthly salary of ₹13,300, which, he says is meagre, compared to what the abroad returns, whose houses he is spraying disinfectant in, make.

“I have been provided a list of addresses, of those who have recently returned from abroad or a visit to the airport. I have been asked to cover the Khel Gaon (CWG) Towers near Akshardham and Mayur Vihar, particularly. My job is to reach their doorsteps, inform them of my purpose and spray the sodium hypochlorite solution on their doors, especially the knobs/handles, doorbells and vehicles,” he says.

When asked if the residents acknowledge his efforts, he says that some people appreciate it. “About 10% of the people offer me water or tea, and I really appreciate that. The rest peek through their doors and then shut it, after which I do my job. Maybe they are just scared,” says Singh, shrugging it off.

The weather, though, hasn’t been kind to Singh or the 124 other field workers deployed by the EDMC to do this job. “Most people are staying indoors due to the lockdown and don’t realise that it has become quite hot already,” he says.

“It’s just the beginning of April, but the afternoons are hot and sunny. We (the field workers) move about on our bicycles. Some of us have motorbikes, but the corporation doesn’t compensate us for fuel expenses; so this is more economical. By the time I finish my work, which goes on from 9am to 5pm, I am drenched in sweat,” he says.

The lockdown has created such a circumstance that in case of a tyre puncture, there is no repair shop to be found, he says. In a few instances, workers’ bicycles have been stolen while the workers are disinfecting an area inside a building. “This happened to my colleagues last week. Thankfully, it hasn’t happened to me so far,” Singh says.

Besides, Singh says that the workers have to put up with misbehaviour quite often. “On March 31, I was leaving the house of a quarantined family when a man shouted at me from his balcony — ‘O Macchar! Yahan bhi spray maar ja.’ (Hey mosquito! Spray the disinfectant here as well),” he says, about name-calling, which has become common.

However, he says that he will continue to do his work meticulously. He says that the happiest part of his day is when he can spend time with his family. “My wife Sunita keeps badgering me to stay home, but I feel one must not turn their back on their duty. Besides, when my two sons, both of whom are in college, find employment, I can enjoy my time at home,” he says.