Pourakarmikas risk their health to ensure hygiene

The civic body that seeks their service seem to be ignorant about their own health.
Deprived of any safety gears like gumboots, helmets and even a glove, as many as 98 pourakarmikas work in all the 35 wards with the age-old practice and equipment.

After fighting for regularisation, the pourakarmikas are now being paid their regular salary. Apart from Rs 250 for uniform allowance (every month), they have been deprived of any other facility.

Be it cleaning the drain or septic tank, the pourakarmikas do not have any modern cleaning equipment instead do a manual job. Due to frequent sprinkling of bleaching powder, their hands bear burn marks. They do not wear any mask while using the fogging machine to check mosquito menace.

As a result, most of pourakarmikas are suffering from various health complaints. Though they have brought the same to the notice of the authorities concerned, nothing has come yet to their help, the pourakarmikas observed.

Recognising their services, the Council must allocate fund in the budget to ensure their safety and health. “It’s a long-felt need,” said the pourakarmikas.