In a welcome respite for cooking gas delivery men in the twin-city, the health department of the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) held a special vaccination session for them at the community hall building in Bhayandar (west) in the presence of Thane MP Rajan Vichare and legislator Geeta Jain on Thursday.
“90 beneficiaries including 76 in the 18 years plus category and 14 in the 45 year plus bracket got the first shot of Covishield vaccine in the single day session,” said MBMC's health officer Dr. Anjali Patil.
Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinder delivery men have braved the intense waves of the deadly pandemic and subsequent lockdowns by reaching out to thousands of households every day in a bid to ensure that gas stoves in kitchens do not run out of fuel.
Lauded as corona warriors, these deliverymen and other oil sector employees had not been included in the priority list for vaccinations till now as despite performing this risky job they were not given the status of frontline corona workers by the government.
“We are thankful to our MP Rajan Vichare for following up on the issue and MBMC chief Dilip Dhole for recognizing the efforts of our deliverymen and arranging the special vaccination session for them,” said Hemant Shah, a gas agency owner in Bhayandar.
The apex body of gas dealers in the country had been seeking frontline worker status and prioritized vaccination for their staffers who were performing this risky job.
“I feel relieved and safe after being vaccinated for the first dose,” said a gas delivery man.
More than 200 staffers, mostly door-to-door delivery men, are employed with around eight agencies that are currently operating in the twin-city.
Apart from the gas delivery men the MBMC vaccinated 404 staffers working for the Metro Rail work being executed by the MMRDA.
