Bombay HC asks NMMC for list of protective gear distributed to staff

Bombay HC sought the NMMC’s response after a petition was filed by Samaj Samata Kaamgar Sangh accusing the civic authorities of not providing any PPE kit to their frontline contractual employees battling the Covid-19 crisis.

The Bombay high court (HC) has directed the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) authorities to give details of the companies and prices at which the civic body had purchased personal protective equipment (PPE) kits such as face masks, gloves and hand sanitisers and how often they were being replenished in a bid to contain the raging coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak.

According to the plea,many contractual essential service workers have contracted Covid-19 because of the callousness of the civic authorities. (Pramod Thakur/ HT file photo)

The court sought the NMMC’s response after a petition was filed by Samaj Samata Kaamgar Sangh, a trade union body representing contractual workers’ rights, accusing the civic authorities of not providing any PPE kit to their frontline contractual employees battling the pandemic.

The plea alleged that many contractual essential service workers have contracted SARS-CoV-2 because of the callousness of the civic authorities. At least 24 such workers have been placed either under home or institutional quarantine, it said.

Advocate Bhavesh Parmar, who represented the Sangh, told Justice S J Kathawalla during the hearing, held via video-conferencing on Tuesday, that the plea contained grievances of 6,277 contractual workers.

Parmar furnished proof in the court that 3,261 contractual workers, who have been involved in solid waste management and cleaning of roads, are carrying out their tasks with bare hands as they don’t have any access to PPE kits.

“Clean water is few and far between and a few drops of hand sanitisers are made available to them after they complete their day’s work. They’re exposed to the threat of contracting the viral infection, as no PPE kits were provided, except low-quality face masks and gloves were given only on one occasion,” the plea alleged.

The advocate, representing the NMMC, refuted all allegations and argued that adequate PPE were made available to all contractual employees on a regular basis.

He, however, failed to inform the court when was the last time that the civic body authorities had provided PPE kits to these workers.

The next date of hearing of the case is on Thursday.