Civic body holds loan mela for sanitation workers in Ludhiana

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, January 7

A number of private sanitation workers participated in the loan mela organised by the Municipal Corporation at Indoor Stadium here on Thursday. The loan mela for the informal sector under the ‘Safaimitra Suraksha Challenge’ was aimed at providing easy loan facility to sanitation workers to buy machines for cleaning septic tanks and sewers so that inhumane practice of manual scavenging can be eliminated.

Mayor Balkar Singh Sandhu and Municipal Commissioner Pardeep Kumar Sabharwal inaugurated the country’s first Loan Mela. Sandhu said ‘Safaimitra’ refers to informal/formal sanitation workers who were involved in cleaning of sewer and septic tanks and related tasks. The challenge was aimed at preventing Safaimitra from ‘hazardous cleaning’ of sewers/septic tanks through promotion of mechanised cleaning, he said.

The Mayor said the National Safai Karamchari Finance Development Corporation (NSKFDC) was providing loans to Safaimitras on the recommendation of the Municipal Corporation. With the financial assistance in terms of soft loan, ‘Safaimitras’ could buy equipment/machines for mechanised cleaning of septic tanks/sewers in place of manual cleaning, leading to a dignified and safe life. The corporation had mobilised informal workers and loan process was initiated for workers under the scheme, the Mayor said.

Sandhu said hundreds of sanitation workers participated in today’s event and hopefully, they would get benefitted from it.

MC Joint Commissioner Swati Tiwana and councillor Dilraj Singh were also present. The officers along with representatives of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, NSKFDC and their channel partners, DICCI, also participated in the loan fair. Over 20 exhibitors participated from all across the country. Private firms displayed equipment and machines which could be used for cleaning of sewers and septic tanks.