SRINAGAR: Safai Karamchari (sweepers) slammed Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) for failing to provide them necessary equipment’s, saying it is difficult for them to perform their duties.
As per the official figures of the SMC, the corporation has 3200 sweepers.
“We are facing a lot of difficulties. We lack equipment. The corporation is not heeding to our demands,” said a group of sweepers.
“Most of our hand carts are damaged. We are repairing them by our own expenses. We have approached officials to repair the hand carts, but it is a long process. If we can’t perform our duties, we are getting a pressure from the corporation and they did not understand our problems,” they said.
The sweepers said the winter season is approaching and it is difficult for them to perform their duties without proper equipment’s. They urged the corporation to provide them proper winter gear like warm clothes, winter shoes, warm cap, mask and rain jacket.
Chief Sanitation officer of SMC, Syed Nissar Hussain told Kashmir Reader that they have already issued three hundred hands carts, uniforms, gloves, masks and shoes to the sweepers in this year.
“We are going to issue another two hundred hand carts, uniforms, rain jackets to them. We have proper welfare fund and medical claim for the sweepers,” he said.
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ARIF RASHID