VIJAYAWADA: The Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC), with the support of Disaster Management Project of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), on Saturday distributed cooling jackets to the sanitation staff to give them some respite from scorching heat.
Speaking at a programme at Indira Gandhi Municipal Corporation Stadium, municipal commissioner M Rama Rao said that in a first-of-its-kind initiative in the State, the civic body distributed 150 cooling jackets, worth a total of Rs 3 lakh and designed by Bengaluru-based Ingersoll Rand, to the sanitation staff.
Highlighting the benefits of the cooling jackets, he added that the lightweight jackets are antibacterial and reduce temperatures by 4 to 8 degrees.
“Initially, the sanitation workers have to dip the jackets in water before wearing which will protect them from the heat. The civic body is committed towards welfare of its sanitation staff,” he said.