COVID-19:Another plea in HC to provide sanitation workers with protective gear

Another PIL has been moved in the Delhi High Court seeking directions to the municipal corporations and the AAP government to provide masks, protection kits and hazmat suits to its sanitation workers.

The petition moved by a union of municipal corporation staff said one worker employed with South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) died due to coronavirus in April.

"More than 80 per cent sanitation workers are working in Delhi without personal protective gear," the plea has claimed.

The matter came up for hearing on Wednesday before Justice Mukta Gupta, who tagged it with another similar plea which is listed for hearing before another bench on Friday.

Earlier similar petition was moved by social activist Harnam Singh who has also sought testing of all the sanitation workers and their immediate families for COVID-19.

Singh moved the high court after his plea was disposed of by the Supreme Courtby taking into account the arguments of the Centre that sanitation workers in the country have been provided with requisite protective kits and the authorities are following the guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO) on the coronavirus pandemic.

The latest petition, by All Municipal Corporation Staff Union, has contended that sanitation workers and rag pickers are at risk of coronavirus infection from handling unmarked medical waste emerging from homes where COVID-19 patients are quarantined and therefore, they need to be provided proper protection gear.

Besides that, the plea seeks that the workers be also instructed on disposal of their masks and gloves and that sanitization cubicles be put up in each ward for the workers to sanitize themselves before going to their respective homes.