MARGAO: In a shocking revelation, ‘A’ Class Margao Municipal Council is evidently not at all serious pertaining to the health of its daily-wage workers engaged in handling the waste at Sonsoddo dump yard resulting in exposure to various infections and diseases as for the year 2022.
The civic body failed to even purchase a single glove and gumboot for the safety of their workers.
This in spite of the fact that there had a budget of Rs 7-5 lakh in the financial year 2021-22, and Rs 10 lakh in 2022-23 for overall expenses on waste management equipment purchases. So funds certainly not the issue to cover purchases in the calendar year of 2022, encompassing two financial years.
Now, O Heraldo while reporting on the issue in depth stumbled upon this detail while researching the purchase records. There are no records of any purchase of neither gloves nor gumboots for the workers engaged in handling the garbage at Sonsoddo in 2022.
As per the register book of the ‘store section’ from 2019-2021, the civic body has purchased only 427 gloves on 11 occasions amounting to nearly Rs 85,000. Whereas 275 gumboots were purchased that too on 11 occasions spending nearly Rs 2.5 lakh.
Shockingly, thereafter not a single glove and gumboot have been purchased, despite knowing the fact that these workers, having health issues are exposed to infections and diseases at Sonsoddo dump yard.
It was only after the issue was highlighted on O Heraldo, in its edition of March 8, the civic body managed to start the process of procuring some quantity of gloves and gumboots, in an ad hoc manner which is yet to be distributed to nearly 30 daily-wage workers deployed at Sonsoddo dump yard.
O Heraldo reported the pathetic state of affairs prevailing at the site, resulting in workers getting infections and diseases without gloves, masks, and gumboots. All their pleas with regard to safety measures have fallen on deaf ears.
It is little consolation that MMC has promised to make amends. “I don’t know about the past, however, now I have proposed the estimated cost of Rs 1 lakh specifically for the purchase of gloves, gumboots, and other safety equipment for the workers engaged at Sonsoddo. Now onwards it will be done in systematic order,” said Vishant Naik, Assistant Engineer, MMC.
He admitted the civic body needs to distribute gloves and gumboots after every three months of the time period, wherein two pairs of gloves and one pair of gumboots are supposed to be given to them as a safety measure.
Tendering process followed, claims MMC
There are no specific budgetary provisions; however, the civic body purchases the equipment including gloves and gumboots by following the tendering process as and when the necessity arises.
Presently, the pathetic state of affairs of all the daily-wage workers at the Sonsoddo dump yard still exists and the bare fact is that they continue to be exposed to infections and diseases due to no gloves, masks and gumboots.
