Where’s our safety net, ask roadways workers

Gurgaon: Employees of Haryana Roadways have alleged that the absence of a policy on regular Covid-19 testing, healthcare insurance and quarantine facilities has put them and their families at a higher risk of contracting the virus.
With the rising number of cases, the employees want the government to officially declare them as frontline workers and ensure healthcare benefits like periodic testing, 14-day quarantine period after returning from different states or a hotspot district, and Covid-19 insurance.
The drivers and conductors alleged that despite being in the frontline by coming in direct contact with hundreds of people, they have not been provided with a safety net. The complainants said around 10 employees tested positive and many showed acute symptoms.
Moreover, with the number of Covid beds not amounting to even 10% of the total healthcare infrastructure, workers have been left in the lurch.
Most of these employees live in congested dwellings. “We have no quarantine policy. There have been cases where family members were later tested positive as there was no provision of quarantine facilities for the workers. We will hand a written plea regarding our demands to the transport department and the state government,” said Haryana Roadways Employees Union leader Sudhir Ahlawat.
Roadways employees in the Gurgaon depot have also asked the government to make sure that all drivers and conductors get PPE kits and thermal scanners.
Meanwhile, the department asserted that all those on Covid-19 duty are being treated as per the guidelines issued by the state. “There is regular testing whenever a suspected case comes up. All the close contacts of those workers are also tested. Moreover, their demand for insurance coverage is misplaced. The government gives 75% of the total treatment cost immediately after the estimates are presented and 25% upon submitting the final bills. Other than that, all the employees have been asked to have their salary accounts in SBI, HDFC, PNB, and state cooperative banks to avail Rs 35 lakh insurance in case of casualty. Even the contractual workers get Rs 10 lakh coverage,” state transport department director-general Virender Dahiya told TOI.