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Journalism of Courage
MUMBAI, June 17: Minister of state for urban development, Ravindra Mane, has ordered the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation to look into the provisions of rainwear for contract workers at dumping grounds in the city. After a survey of the Deonar dumping ground today morning, Mane reportedly told the BMC staff that he wanted gumboots and raincoats to be provided to the workers “within eight days.”
Accordingly, the solid waste management (SWM) department will be issuing letters to contractors asking them to provide the accessories, failing which their payments will be withheld. “We will be writing to them that they comply with the demands, else we will have no alternative but to withold their payments,” said chief engineer of SWM, M R Shah.
Kachra Vahtuk Shramik Sangh, the recently formed union for these 3000 labourers working in the city’s four dumping grounds, had brought the minister to the dumping ground for a survey of the pathetic working conditions of these workers. Exploited by contractors without being given any facilities under the Minimum Wages Act, these workers work in the monsoon without any protective gear against the rain or garbage.
“After the court orders following our writ filed with the Smoke Affected Residents Forum, a lot has improved in the dumping ground. "But the roads are bad for the workers, and so are working conditions,” said the union’s general secretary, Milind Ranade.
While the union claims there is no provision for drinking water for the workers, Shah said tankers were already installed. The union has been working hard at obtaining facilities like an attendance card and wage slips for the workers from the contractors. So has the BMC, but without much success.
“We have already written to the contractors that they should be giving them attendance cards under the Minimum Wages Act. The deadline for compliance is June 25, 1997,” informed Shah.
