By TC News Desk
Agartala, 29th July 2024: The Safai Mitra Suraksha Shibir held at the Agartala Town Hall turned into a grand function aimed at felicitating sanitation workers. The event held within the four walls of the town hall sought to acknowledge the indispensable role these workers play in keeping Agartala clean. However, the day’s events revealed a stark contrast between the intended respect and the reality faced by the workers.
As the program commenced, the corporation authorities emphasized the crucial role of cleaning workers, acknowledging that without them, maintaining the cleanliness of Agartala would be an impossible task. Despite this recognition, the workers quickly realized that the accolades were limited to the confines of the town hall.
The disconnect between the rhetoric of the authorities and their actions became evident during the distribution of sweet packets after the ceremony. A scandalous incident took place when an elderly sanitation worker, seeking a sweet packet, was allegedly pushed to the ground by the distributors. This incident highlighted the lack of genuine respect and empathy from the corporation’s representatives.
Speaking to the media, the elderly worker expressed his dismay recounting how she was mistreated for simply asking for a sweet packet. She lamented the lack of respect shown to him and his fellow workers, noting that many middle-class employees of the corporation were present and witnessed the incident.
Some attendees claimed that the altercation arose due to an insufficient number of sweet packets. However, this explanation did little to mitigate the humiliation faced by the worker. The corporation director’s lack of response to the incident further exacerbated the situation.
The elderly worker, like many others had attended the event after a long morning of cleaning the city’s streets. He had hoped to return home with a small token of appreciation. Instead, he left with a stark reminder of his position within the corporation’s hierarchy.
The day’s events underscored the superficiality of the respect offered to the sanitation workers. While the grand function celebrated their contributions, the subsequent treatment of the workers revealed a troubling disconnect between words and actions. The incident at the Agartala Town Hall serves as a poignant reminder of the ongoing struggles faced by those who work tirelessly to keep the city clean.
