Commission seeks safety gear for labourers involved in last rites

MYSURU: The State Safai Karmachari Commission has requested the government to provide personal protection equipment (PPE) kits to all labourers working at cemeteries and crematoriums and organise periodic Covid-19 tests for their safety.
H Nataraju, secretary of the commission, said generations of labourers’ families had worked at the same place with few benefits. “They live in the vicinity, so there is a possibility that they might contract the infection,” he said.
The commission has described the workers as corona warriors who perform the last rites of Covid-19 victims, and demanded an incentive of Rs 10,000 each. In a recent letter, it has sought reports from all district administrations on the condition of the workers under every gram panchayat and urban civic body and on the facilities provided to them. District administrations have also been urged to share details such as a list of cemeteries and crematoriums, level of wages and insurance cover.
“We want to ensure that labourers get adequate facilities and local administrations don’t leave them out of their schemes,” said Nataraju. “Generations of the same families have continued this profession. We want the coming generation to gradually move to other jobs or become self-employed. We are working towards this, and our plans include education for children in good schools.”