Housing proposed for sanitary workers

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday drew his attention to the plight of sanitation workers employed in the New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), proposing a new housing scheme for sanitation workers.

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He described sanitary workers as the backbone of our city’s cleanliness system.

Meanwhile, he announced a special guarantee for safai karamcharis to ensure permanent housing for in Delhi.

In his letter to PM, he wrote that while these workers are provided with government accommodations during their service, retirement forces them to vacate these homes, leaving them vulnerable. They cannot afford to purchase their own homes or pay exorbitant rents in Delhi, he wrote adding that this situation often pushes them and their families into insecure living conditions.

To address the issue, Kejriwal proposed that the Centre should provide land at subsidised rates to sanitation workers. "I suggest that the government offer affordable land and construct homes for them, which can be given on easy installments," he said.

He added that this initiative would not only improve their living conditions but also offer them a dignified retirement.

“Since land in Delhi falls under the jurisdiction of the central government, if the central government provides land at highly subsidised rates, the Delhi government will construct houses on it. The government employees can become the owners of these houses by paying easy installments,” the former Delhi CM said.

"This problem is not limited to sanitation workers but affects all government employees, especially those from lower-income groups," Kejriwal noted.

He proposed that the scheme should initially benefit sanitation workers and later be expanded to include other government employees.

“The safai karamcharis can deduct installments for the house from their salaries in the final years of their employment. By the time they retire, they will have a house to live a dignified life.” he added.