Not just gig workers, give water, toilet, changing room for us too: Cleanliness workers to GCC
Ten zones out of 15 have been privatised for solid waste management, and the remaining five function under the civic body
Greater Chennai Corporation (Photo: Hemanathan M)
CHENNAI: After the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) inaugurated a Scandinavian-style AC lounge for gig workers in several areas in the city, cleanliness workers have cried foul, as they claim to have been ignored by the civic body.
“We’ve been working round the clock to keep the city clean, and yet, we don’t get such a facility,” said a worker. “We’re not provided with basic facilities like changing rooms, drinking water, and clean toilets anywhere in the city.”
As many as 18,845 cleanliness workers are deployed to clean the city and collect 6,150 metric tonnes of waste. Ten zones out of 15 have been privatised for solid waste management, and the remaining five function under the civic body.
Workers in these 5 zones face increasing workload due to a shortage of manpower. A woman worker under the National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NUML) pointed out that there were three workers to clean the New Avadi Road from Chakravarthy Nagar to New Avadi Link Road. “But now, there’s only one cleaning the entire stretch. There are no restrooms for us. Sometimes, shops and residences allow us but not always. So I don’t attend to nature’s call all day,” she lamented.
Concurring with her was another worker, who poured out her grievances to this reporter, saying: “Though our duty starts at 6:30 am, we have to reach the division office around 5:50 am. We do carry a one-litre water bottle, which is not enough for the whole day. When we ask for water in the nearby house, they refuse or give us pipe water. It would be helpful if the Corporation provides a kiosk-like facility with drinking water, chairs and a dressing room for us.”
The Madras Corporation Red Flag Union (CITU), general secretary, P Srinivasalu, criticised the civic body for not providing drinking water in all 200 wards. “A few wards in the city don’t have changing rooms for workers, especially in Division 84 in Anna Nagar zone. In division 34, there is no water in the toilets. No proper rooms for workers in wards such as 65, 94, and 95,” he stated. “A facility with drinking water, toilets and a dressing room should be installed in many places.”
When contacted, Deputy Mayor Magesh Kumaar said that “the Corporation is considering setting up kiosks for cleanliness workers in Chennai”.
