The 900 sanitation workers of the Sabarimala Sanitation Society (SSS) who were employed at Sabarimala and its base camps during the Mandalam-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season have not yet received their remuneration. The Pathanamthitta Collectorate authorities were supposed to disburse the wages of these workers from Tamil as soon as the pilgrim season ended on January 23.
Ramalingam, a worker from Madurai, told The Hindu that all the 900 workers were recruited by the SSS chaired by the Pathanamthita Collector with the help of the Akhila Bharatha Ayyappa Seva Sanghom from Madurai, Theni, Salem and Kalladaikurichi in Tamil Nadu.
The SSS reportedly decided to raise the daily wage of these workers to ₹425, an increase of ₹25 from the previous year.
Kept clean
The SSS workers had kept the pilgrim centre clean throughout the season. They had also done a two-day intensive post-season cleaning drive on the directions of the Special Commissioner appointed by the Kerala High Court. The SSS made arrangements for their return journey to their villages on January 23 afternoon.
However, these workers are yet to get their remuneration dues of ₹26,175.
Adoor Revenue Divisional Officer P.T. Abrahm, who is also the SSS ex officio member secretary, said he had sent the final bill to the collectorate two weeks ago.
The delay was said to have been caused by certain objections raised by the finance wing at the collectorate over the biometric punching of certain workers.
District Collector P.B. Noohu was not available for further clarification.
₹400 a day
The RDO said he had passed the bill fixing the daily wage at ₹400 as the wage revision proposal was yet to get the official approval. Mr. Ramalingam said the workers were desperate as they had not received the wage arrears.