COVID-19: Delhi BJP MP asks Thaawarchand Gehlot to provide protective gears to sanitation workers

Delhi BJP MP Hans Raj Hans on Monday urged Union Social Justice and Empowerment minister Thaawarchand Gehlot to provide adequate protective gear to sanitation workers who are at the forefront of the fight against coronavirus.

The North West Delhi MP also requested the minister to look into problems of commuting faced by the sanitation workers amid the lockdown imposed to contain the virus.

"They are not given facemasks, hand gloves, sanitisers etc for protection. It is quite disturbing. Therefore I draw your kind attention to this critical healthcare issue of sanitation workers," Hans wrote in his letter to the minister.

He said the sanitation workers have to daily spend around Rs 100 to commute to their assigned areas through alternative means due to unavailability of public transport amid the lockdown.

"Lakhs of sanitation workers in the countryengaged in handling the challenge of COVID-19 are not paid any compensation to commute to their job site, be it government or contractual service providers," he said.

Former Union minister Satyapal Singh too wrote a letter to the minister and raised the issue.

Sanitation workers who are among the frontline warriors against the pandemic have to face several problems, Singh said.

"Due to the lockdown, the public transport is completely banned. They have to face financial problems in using costly alternative modes of transport," Singh wrote to the minister.

He said the fight against coronavirus would be strengthened by announcing some honorarium for the sanitation workers and supplying them with facemasks, sanitisers and other protective equipments.