The municipal wards in Dehradun have been increased from 60 to 100 but the number of sanitation workers is still the same for the past many years, said the members of Samajik Samrasta Manch (SSM) during an event held in the Town Hall.
According to SSM, even after 20 years of the formation of Uttarakhand, no permanent appointments of sanitation workers have been made in the state as per the norms of the government.
The members of SSM said that the practice of manual scavenging still happens in many regions of the state and it should be ended by the state government.
As per the law, only selected trained sanitation workers should be sent to such areas only when no machine can reach the place.
According to the director of NHPC Bhagwat Prasad Makwana, the municipal wards have been increased in Dehradun from 60 to 100 but permanent appointments of sanitation workers have still not been made in the state as per the norms of the government. Only 28 permanent sanitation workers are available per 10,000 population of an area.
The workers, who have been appointed on a temporary basis, are given an extremely low salary and they are not even given the benefits like bonus, leaves, and insurance.
The members of SSM also said that educated sanitation workers should also be given promotions as per their qualifications.