Enumeration of sanitary workers begins after 9 deaths

In a circular to the regional deputy commissioners and zonal officers, the Corporation has asked to collect details of permanent employees, workers, contract sanitary workers and volunteers involved in COVID prevention work and contracted the infection and died. “All the zonal officers were asked to send the details through the regional deputy commissioners by July 7,” it said.

The Corporation has issued further instruction seeking to collect details, including lab report, mortuary report, police report, burial report and death certificate, of the workers who died. “All the details should be sent in three days as it should be submitted to the government,” it said.

The State government had announced that the Corporation workers, if contracted COVID, would be given Rs 2 lakh assistance and in case of death, the worker’s family would be given Rs 50 lakh. However, the corporation has not even paid Rs 2 lakh to about 110 workers who were affected by the coronavirus.

Chennai Corporation Red Flag Union office-bearers said that the civic body has neglected non-permanent workers and volunteers who were involved in the Covid-19 prevention work. “We have been demanding the corporation to extend all the benefits provided to the permanent employees to the contract, temporary and volunteers as well. The civic body has agreed to provide Rs 2 lakh to all the workers but it refuses to pay Rs 50 lakh to the non-permanent workers who died of Covid-19,” the union member said.