There is a shortage of conservancy workers enganged in the hazardous job of cleaning up the city of Pune. Add to that insufficient provision made by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) for conservancy staff to clean themselves after handling the city's waste — no drinking water or first aid kits, insufficient toilet and rest room facilities and delay in supply of soap — and one gets the full picture.These were the findings of the eight-member committee appointed by PMC to study health issues of conservancy staff. Among the recommendations of the report, published on Thursday, are improvements in their working and residential conditions to counter illnesses arising out of their nature of work and occupational hazards. The report starts off by quoting The Indian Express series which highlighted the plight of conservancy staff in the city.The PMC has been asked to take up an awareness drive among the conservancy staff to get them to use protective equipment like gumboots, gloves and masks while working. Such protective equipment were not being used on the pretext that they have an adverse effect on the work. The committee has recommended that the use of protective equipment be made compulsory and suggested that action be taken against those not using them. It has recommended that first aid facility should be given to conservancy staff at the place allocated for their personal use during working hours. The PMC had appointed the committee, comprising five elected representatives and three civic officers, in October to study the issues related to conservancy staff and give relevant suggestions to improve their quality of life. This followed a two-day visit by Dr Arvind Prasad, Joint Secretary, Union Social Justice Department, during which he visited various parts of the municipal limits where the conservancy staff were engaged in their routine work.The committee has also noted that the PMC had not conducted any medical checkup for its conservancy staff. "The PMC needs to carry out regular medical checkups of its conservancy staff and maintain their health card. The staff should be given appropriate immunisation as a precautionary measure," the committee said in its recommendation. "Those suffering from serious ailments should be provided with the best of medical facilities by the PMC," it said.In its report submitted to Municipal Commissioner Praveensinh Pardeshi, the committee has said the PMC should constantly provide training to its staff for adopting new practices and use of advance technology in their work. High incidence of debt, illiteracy and alcoholism among the conservancy staff has an adverse effect on their health, it has pointed out. It urged the PMC to undertake a de-addiction drive along with a programme to ensure their physical and mental fitness. A special literacy drive for conservancy staff through adult education programme and efforts to improve the educational level of their children should be undertaken by PMC, the panel suggested.
