Amritsar, March 2 (K.L. Jit Walia) – Hardeep Singh Gill, Vice Chairman of the National Commission for Safai Karamcharis, held a meeting with district officials and representatives of sanitation workers’ unions at the District Administrative Complex in Amritsar.
Chairing the meeting, Gill directed officials to ensure strict implementation of government rules and labor laws meant for the protection and welfare of sanitation workers. He emphasized that sanitation workers must be paid wages strictly according to the rates fixed by the government.
He also issued special instructions to officials of the Amritsar Municipal Corporation stating that no sanitation worker should be forced to perform manual scavenging such as cleaning sewers or waste by hand. He warned that if any such case comes to the notice of the commission, strict legal action will be taken against the responsible officials. Gill stated that the primary objective of the commission is to safeguard the rights of sanitation workers and improve their living standards.
Gill informed that if a sanitation worker dies while performing cleaning duties, the government provides compensation of ₹30 lakh to the family of the deceased. He clarified that this benefit applies to all sanitation workers whether they are permanent employees, temporary workers, contractual staff, or those working through outsourcing.
He also instructed officials to ensure that identity cards are issued to all sanitation workers and that these cards must include the worker’s blood group. He added that the commission will listen to the problems of sanitation workers and ensure their resolution through the concerned departments. Workers facing any difficulty can approach the commission directly.
During the meeting, municipal officials were further directed to fill vacant sanitation worker posts at the earliest and to provide safety kits to workers. He also stressed the importance of providing medical insurance to sanitation workers so they can receive support in case of accidents.
Gill also heard the concerns raised by representatives of sanitation workers’ unions and assured them that their genuine demands and problems would be addressed by the commission. Before the meeting began, two minutes of silence was observed in memory of sanitation workers who died while performing cleaning work in Indore.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Deputy Commissioner Dalwinderjit Singh assured the Vice Chairman that all the instructions given during the meeting would be fully implemented and that the commission’s directions would be strictly followed.
The meeting was attended by Assistant Commissioner Municipal Corporation Vishal Wadhawan, Health Officer Dr. Kiran Kumar, Dr. Rama, Civil Surgeon Dr. Satinder Singh, District Education Officer Rajesh Sharma, sanitation union representatives Vinod Kumar Bitta, Surinder Tona, Ashok Hans, Shakti Kalyan, Om Prakash Anaria, Babi Pradhan Mirakot, Kumar Darshan, Sonu Sharma, along with officials from the police department and urban and rural administration.
KL JIT WALIA
