The Covid-19 pandemic-induced closure of schools has forced a woman teacher in the State capital city to work as a garbage vehicle driver for the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC).
Smrutirekha Behera, a resident of the Patharabandha slum here, was earlier working as a teacher at a private school in Chakeisiani while her husband works in a private company. Her livelihood was severely affected as the school was closed due to the lockdown. Making matters worse, her husband’s salary was reduced to half. Smrutirekha, a mother of two daughters, decided to work as a driver of a waste collection vehicle under the BMC’s ‘Mu Safaiwala’ campaign. She had undertaken a driving training course organised for some women of the slum in 2019. The training helped her secure driver job that includes collection of garbage from various residential areas in the city and its transportation to the dump yard between 5 am and 1 pm every day. “After closure of schools, I also had to stop tuition class, which was my secondary source of income. Left with no option, I took up the job of a garbage vehicle driver to sustain my family. However, I respect my duty and never hesitate to work as a sanitation worker,” she said.