Vellore civic body employees peeved at missing out on Independence Day honour list

While doctors, nurses, and police and other officials involved in pandemic control work were honoured by Vellore collector A Shanmuga Sundaram with certificates and shawls, these six who carry out the risky job of burying the bodies of those who succumbed to the infection were ignored, sources said.

Most of those who died at CMC Hospital were from other districts and states, but were buried at the cremation ground on the Palar river based on the pandemic protocol. The bodies from the Vellore government medical college hospital are being handled by another team. “It was a mistake not to honour these workers who risk their lives while taking the bodies from hospital to the ground and bury them,” said an official seeking anonymity.

When asked, a senior official from the Corporation said the work done byt these workers would also be given due recognition. “They will be honoured by Corporation Commissioner C Sankaran shortly,” the official said. But with Sankaran remaining in quarantine after testing positive for the virus, it remains to be seen when and how the staff would be honoured.

The prospect of being honoured by the Corporation Commission has not enthused these workers much. One of them told DT Next: “We feel it is a greater honour to be recognised by the district Collector because the Commissioner is our direct boss who interacts with conservancy staff regularly when he inspects the wards regarding anti-pandemic measures in the mornings.”