They had been banned from entering Vasai dumping ground to prevent exposure to toxic methane gas
Palghar : The Vasai Virar Municipal Corporation (VVMC) is creating history as it has decided to approach sanitation contractors to employ around 157 ragpickers, whom it has banned from entering the Vasai dumping ground to prevent exposure to toxic methane gas present beneath the hundreds of tons of garbage.
Experts say exposure to methane gas can even prove fatal as the gas is highly combustible.
The ragpickers make their ends meet by collecting plastic, metals and other form of scrap from the dumping ground, spread across 45 acres at Gokhivare, Vasai (E).
Often, various chemicals in the garbage react to create the harmful methane gas. “It is very harmful for these ragpickers to get directly exposed to the deadly methane gas and hence banned them,” said Sukdev Darveshi, newly appointed as acting Assistant Municipal Commissioner (AMC) specifically for the VVMC sanitation department. The VVMC wants the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan to continue its work on war footing basis which called for a dedicated AMC who would function as a single point contact and streamline the tasks of the entire department.
“We had a meeting with the commissioner on December 8, where we discussed the possibility of rehabilitating ragpickers and utilise their potential in the sanitation department and request the contractors to employ them as they are always in need of staff,” added Darveshi.
The proposal has been put forward to the contractors and a positive decision is awaited, which will open a new chapter in the history of the VVMC.
VVMC Commissioner Satish Lokhande said: “The locals complained about a minor fire on the dumping ground and hence for the safety of these ragpickers, we decided to disallow them from entering. I have spoken to my AMC about possible employment of these ragpickers with the contractors from the sanitation department.”