‘Aware of risk involved, but someone has to remove garbage from roads’

Charanjit Singh Teja

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, April 7

Angrej Singh, a sanitation worker of the Municipal Corporation (MC) from Chheharta, removes garbage piled up in streets and roads with the help of his tractor trolley. He, along with three other persons, is responsible for the cleanliness of roads and streets in Zone 6 of the area.

Angrej starts off his work at 8:30 am by visiting all streets and roads in his area. The pandemic made his work more hectic, as everyone is now concerned about hygiene. "Generally, we make one round of dumping ground at Bhagtanwala to dump the trolley of garbage collected from roads. But after the pandemic, officials have told that cleanliness is the only prevention of stopping its spread. So, we have decided to contribute more hours to clean the city. Now, we are working for seven to eight hours and make three rounds to the dumping ground," he said.

Despite all odds, Angrej is working amid Covid-19 threat without fail despite opposition by his family members. "My family members are worried about my health. I deal with garbage daily. Even the authorities have imposed a curfew outside. My son told me that if you get infected, then the entire family will be infected. I am aware about the risk involved but someone has to remove the garbage from roads, so I am here. We are doing our best and have trust in god that everything would get normal soon," said Angrej Singh.

"We have all safety equipment which is required to deal with garbage. Residents, NGOs and the government are supporting and have provided us with the masks, gloves and sanitisers. People are recognising our services in this situation. The government should provide insurance cover to all sanitation worker," he said.

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