They dirty their hands to keep the city clean

When asked about the safety kit being provided by his contractor, he said they receive it once a year, but it does not last that long. When the kit is damaged, they go around collecting garbage without any protection

Vasudha Zora | NT

Bengaluru: Gunna , a 27 - year- old on-contract garbage collector and resident of Banashankari layout shares what he does in a day. He works under a contractor alongside other 50 people. Sharing his daily work routine, he said his duty starts early at 6 am till 2 pm and he has been assigned to collect garbage from the whole of Kendriya Nagar.

Sometimes the working hours overshoot this schedule. He drives a garbage truck and visits the homes, apartments and local shops in the area on a daily basis and segregates the garbage into wet and dry ones. After that he does some odd jobs of carrying sacks and heavy weight items and on lucky days he earns some extra.

He makes around 10, 000 a month. When asked about the occupational hazards his job entails, he sounded carefree. He said the contractor provides them one safety kit a year, but it does not last that long. When the kit is damaged, they go around collecting garbage without any protection.

When asked why he does not demand a new safety kit when they are damaged, he said with a proud smile, “When nothing happened to me during the Covid-19 pandemic doing the same job, nothing will happen to me now.”

Gunna’s mother works as a sweeper with the BBMP and his father is involved in freelance contract based labour work. Gunna has finished high school education and his family is neo-literate. They moved from Tamil Nadu a decade ago in search of better job opportunities. Gunna’s 23-yearold sister is married and lives in Chikkaballapur with her in-laws.

The family’s annual income is around Rs 4 lakh, but due to his parents' chronic illness, a good amount is spent on healthcare. The family visits urban Primary Health Centers for minor illnesses and they have been issued a below poverty line card, which helps them with ration and other amenities during dire times.

What does Gunna do to unwind? “I love mutton biryani and raita, and on the weekends my friends and I like to get together and play cricket and hangout. I am a fan of Ronaldo and look forward to catching him in the FIFA World Cup,” said he said excitedly