CHENNAI: Devi (name changed), a 44-year-old National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM) staff member employed directly under the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) as a sweeper in the park area near Marina Beach, spends at least Rs 40 to Rs 50 every day on her lunch, buying food from nearby eateries.
She usually buys a packet of mixed rice to get through her day-long shift. Few metres away, she watches roadside sweepers along the Marina Beach stretch, employed through private contractors engaged by the GCC, receive free meals daily under the CM’s recently announced one-free-meal-a-day scheme.
While the scheme has benefited many conservancy workers across the city, Devi and several others like her, who come under the parks department of the GCC, remain excluded, leaving them to bear daily food expenses despite working similar hours and under comparable conditions.
Nearly 30 workers have been deployed in the park area along the Marina Beach-Lighthouse stretch. The workers said they have been working directly under the GCC as NULM staff. Their work shift runs from 8am to 4pm. Many of them travel from different parts of the city to report on time and, as a result, often skip breakfast. In addition, as of January 25, the workers said their salaries for December has still not been credited.
Devi told TNIE, “We report to work around 8 am, and some of us travel long distances. We are unable to cook food at home, and at times, we cannot even afford to buy meals,” she said, adding that they are sometimes forced to work while hungry.
Another worker said, “Tiffin boxes and meals were provided to us only on the day of the scheme’s inauguration, and no such facilities were extended thereafter, despite our many requests to the supervisors.”
The issue is not limited to the Marina stretch. Sweepers deployed at other corporation-run parks across the city have also raised similar concerns. A worker at one of the city parks told TNIE that they receive food only if there is surplus after distribution to conservancy workers engaged as road sweepers, door-to-door waste collectors and Battery Operated Vehicle (BoV) drivers. The worker also claimed that the previous contractor, Padmavati, has yet to pay one month’s salary to them.
On the other hand, a worker engaged in door-to-door waste collection in Thiruvottiyur said, “For the past several years, our ward councillor has been providing us with breakfast and lunch every day, considering workers’ welfare.” The food tastes very good, the worker said, adding that, “While we continue to eat there, we take the food provided under the government scheme to our homes.”
Speaking to TNIE, a senior corporation official said, “There were plans to extend the scheme to conservancy workers in the parks department during Pongal last month, but it could not be implemented due to various reasons. However, park workers under the GCC will also benefit from the scheme soon,” the official assured.