Mysuru: Karnataka State Safai Karmachari Commission has decided to file cases against the heads of Palace Board, Zoo and Mysore City Corporation (MCC) for failing to provide safety gears like boots and hand gloves to Pourakarmikas.
Disclosing this at a press meet at DC’s office here yesterday, Commission Chairman M.R. Venkatesh said that both regular and contract Pourakarmikas were forced to work without safety aids under MCC limits. He further said that the contractors were filling up their rolls with fraudulent entries to boost the attendance and added that action would be initiated against such contractors.
Continuing, Venkatesh said that a scholarship of Rs. 500 per month would be given to children of Pourakarmikas studying from 1st standard to Post-Graduation along with 5% reservation for them in Government residential schools.
A separate Safai Karmachari Development Corporation has been established to ensure welfare of Pourakarmikas, he said and added that the Government had released Rs. 87 crore for the Corporation.
It is not only about providing personal protective equipment to protect foot and hands, this works are real peril to life, work hazards should be assessed before sending them in to confined space, main hazards are exposure to hydrogen sulfide, lack of oxygen and going unconscious unnoticed inside drain no space to rescue.
Exposure to such hazard will be fatal with in minutes, we have seen lot of examples in current times.
Health and safety Dept of MCC should be aware and responsible to issue work permit for such works.