Plea seeks risk allowance for sanitary staff

Chennai

The Madras High Court has been moved seeking the State to provide minimum wages, risk allowances and basic amenities, including housing facilities, to sanitary workers.

A division bench comprising Justice MM Sundresh and Justice R Hemalatha ordered notice to the National Commission for Safai Karamcharis and State, returnable by October 16.

The petitioner N Pannerselvam, an advocate from Coimbatore, submitted that in TN about 50,000 sanitary workers were involved in sanitation work, risking their lives for more than 10 to 20 years, for a meagre pay of Rs 80 per day. They are deployed on contract basis and in many local bodies, women SHGs have been engaged in such work without being provided with any safety gear. The plea contended that while those deployed in police, Fire and Rescue Services, and Health departments were getting risk allowance, it was not extended to sanitary workers.