'Women sweepers of IMC not paid for last 5 months'
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, April 19 2022:
A sweeper of Imphal Municipal Corporation (IMC) has asked how she will resume her service without getting any payment for the last five months.
Speaking to The Sangai Express, sweeper Ngairangbam Baby (44) said that she has been rendering her service without getting any day off at Khwairamband Keithel BT Park from 6 to 10 am everyday.
Ngairang Baby is a resident of Singjamei Oinam Thingel and has four children.
Her husband is a private driver.
Of her four children, one is married, one has dropped studies after Class X while the remaining two are in Class X and XI .
Continuing that she occasionally works up to 12 noon in case there is any VIP visit or important programme, Baby maintained that she along with other sweepers of IMC haven't got any honorarium since the last five months.
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"The Government wants us to work but is not considerate enough to pay us to provide for our families," she rued and maintained that she is finding it extremely difficult to provide for her children's studies and food without the salary.
Stating that the IMC employs women mainly for cleaning strategic locations of Imphal areas, Baby maintained they got a monthly salary of Rs 6,750 for their service.
"We have been urging the State Government as well as the officials concerned to increase our salary but the same seems to have fallen on deaf ears," she asserted.
Claiming that Chief Minister N Biren Singh assured to hike the salary of IMC sweepers by Rs 2,000 during his recent visit to Khwairamband Keithel but no process for the same has been initiated yet, Baby said that there is no such thing as holiday for the sweepers too even on account of bandh or general strike but "we, nonetheless, have been carrying out our duty wholeheartedly" .
Saying that they even worked without getting any day off during the difficult period of COVID-19 on the advice of senior IMC officials, Baby maintained that they sometimes were made to work at Covid Care Centres too.
"We are often scolded by morning joggers and others for sweeping in the morning too as they believe it as a bad omen and are exposed to dust and pollution everyday," she said and added that they, however, have been performing their duty without raising any complaints no matter the situation.
Baby then urged the State Government to release their pending salaries and also hike it so that they can work on a full stomach.