100 Covid waste collectors on frontline without cover in Gurugram

Ipsita Pati | TNN | Updated: Apr 19, 2020, 11:02 IST

Picture for representational purpose only.

GURUGRAM: Rajiv Kaushik (28) collects Covid-19 waste from hospitals and quarantine centres in Faridabad daily and takes it to the incineration plant for disposal. Though his family pleads him to leave the high-risk job, Rajiv says he has a responsibility towards the society.
But like Rajiv, around 100 biomedical waste collectors employed at the two incineration facilities that handle Covid-19 waste in five districts of Haryana are not yet considered eligible for compensation or the insurance scheme of the government. This is because they do not fall under the health workers’ category.
Everyday, more than 1,500 kg of Covid-10 biomedical waste from Gurugram, Faridabad, Palwal, Mewat and Rewari are being collected and treated by these workers. Though these workers have raised concerns, the governis yet to give any response.
“We are scared as we are dealing directly with Covid-19 waste. The quarantine centres are not following the standards while handing over the waste. The government is not treating us as health workers,” says Kaushik.
Another Covid-19 waste worker, Ravi says he faces discrimination from neighbours due to the social stigma attached to his job. “We are coronavirus warriors, but we are being treated by our neighbours differently.”
Meanwhile, the incineration plants say they have been in touch with the Union government to ensure that these biomedical waste collectors workers get some benefits, being the silent heroes at the forefront of battle against Covid. “We have raised our issues with the government to provide necessary PPE’s to our workers. We also demand that our employees be included in insurance scheme,” says Vishesh Gaur, director of Biotic that handles waste from Gurugram and Rewari.
The firm which collects Covid-19 waste says that its workers are working without benefits. “We are collecting 700 kg of waste from Palwal and Mewat, while from Faridabad we are getting 250 kg daily. With no government financial help, our collectors are suffering,” says Rajesh Kumar of Golden Eagle.
Rajeev Arora, additional chief secretary (health), says, “The government is not providing health issurance to workers from private firms.”