MARCOS GONSALVES
marcos@herald-goa.com
MARGAO: O Heraldo’s reportage highlighting the plight of 30 daily-wage
workers working in unhygienic conditions at Sonsoddo has finally compelled the Margao Municipal Council (MMC) to provide gloves to them within 15 days. But they have still not received their gum boots.
The workers dealing with a massive quantum of waste daily including hazardous waste not properly sorted were working without any Personal Protective Equipment.
At the special meeting, the MMC Chairperson stated that all those working at the Sonsoddo dump yard need to be appreciated.
“The stink is really unbearable and I cannot imagine how these workers manage to work on a daily basis. I personally visited the site on a regular basis to monitor the ongoing works,” the chairperson said.
The Chief Officer said that the stink at Sonsoddo is very bad and saw the workers working at the site despite all odds.
But what really stinks is the ineptitude of the MMC in not supplying this basic equipment for over a year.
It is pertinent to note that Camilo Barretto, Chairman of the Sanitation Committee had requested the chairperson to supply gloves and gumboots to the workers engaged at Sonsoddo following the O Heraldo report.
However, the workers have thanked O Heraldo for highlighting their plight.
It may be recalled that O Heraldo in its March 8 edition had reported that these daily-wage workers engaged in handling the waste at the Sonsodo dump yard contracted various infections and diseases on account of the pathetic conditions prevailing at the site.
It was revealed that nearly 30 daily-wage workers contracted infections and diseases on account of handling hazardous waste without gloves, masks, and gumboots. All their pleas with regard to safety measures fell on deaf ears.
On March 22, O Heraldo further exposed the civic body for not purchasing gloves and gumboots for these workers.
After the reportage, Chairperson Damodar Shirodkar and Chief Officer Manuel Barretto came to know of the workers’ plight after visiting the site on a regular basis in the past few days.
