Waste-pickers want statewide survey, improved lifestyle

Bengaluru, NT Bureau: Extension of life insurance to wastepickers, proper living standards and reinstatement of welfare programmes, are a few demands put forth by the civic organisation Hasiru Dala, as part of its Hasiru Habba, at Freedom Park on Wednesday.

The ‘festival’ was a celebration of waste-pickers, and their contribution to the environment. It is learnt that the state has over 4.23 lakh waste-pickers in the informal waste sector.

Of these, 51 per cent are women and 47 per cent Dalits and Adivasis. Demands for a statewide survey, and issuance of labour cards were put forth to the Labour department.

To improve their lifestyle, waste-pickers want new houses to be built under the Special Category Housing Scheme established in 2014-2015 for them, and provision of basic amenities such as water, electricity and sanitation.

In a surey done on wastepickers living in 17 cities and 64 villages of the state, 45 per cent do not have access to electricity, 42 per cent depend on community water taps or tanks. Only 43 per cent have their own toilets and 20 per cent defecate in the open.