Pune: Waste Pickers To Work With Wearing Black Bands Against PMC’s Apathetic Attitude
Sumit Singh
Pune, 24th May 2021: Agitated waste picker members of SWaCH Pune are organising protests as Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) proposes contractualisation of their livelihoods after false assurances to protect waste pickers’ rights.
Temporary extensions to the SWaCH memorandum of understanding (MoU) amidst the continuing discussions of contractualisation indicate PMC’s apathetic attitude towards the contribution of 3500 waste pickers to the city for the last 14 years. Waste pickers are protesting against PMC’s hypocrisy by wearing black bands to work from tomorrow. Once covid restrictions are relaxed, they will intensify their protest in a constitutional and covid appropriate manner, till their voices are heard and issues resolved.
“If the support from over 30 lakh citizens and 115 corporators doesn’t underline the success of our work, then we don’t understand what exactly PMC expects from the waste management of Pune”, said Vidya Naiknaware, a waste picker from Dhankawadi.
PMC’s waste management is held together by the sweat and labour of the waste-pickers of SWaCH for the last 14 years. They have built the only progressive primary collection system in the solid waste management of the city. Instead of rooting for it, looking for expensive, contractual, low accountability options would disrupt the entire waste management of Pune.
“Discussions to contractualise our livelihoods gain significant momentum, but we have still not got the promised incentive allowance during the first wave of covid, life insurance, PPE, essential equipment like pushcarts, buckets. This is infuriating. We lost our sisters to Covid, yet we continued working. Does PMC have an iota of commitment towards valuing waste pickers’ efforts?”, questioned Rani Shivsharan, a waste picker from Hadapsar.
Recognising their commitment towards citizens, waste pickers will continue their work to protect the city’s health. However, they will wear black bands at work and ask for support and solidarity from citizens, SWaCH said in a press release.
