A bunch of round 20 individuals has been employed for drain cleansing. (Representational)
Thane:
Lack of jobs because of the COVID-19 pandemic has compelled some younger males who’ve school levels to work as “nullah” (drain) cleaners in the Mumbra area near Thane.
But they are not ashamed. No work is inferior and they have to support their families, said one of them.
A group of around 20 persons from Diva in the district has been hired by a private contractor for nullah cleaning which is undertaken every year to prevent flooding during the monsoon.
Among them are some well-educated young men.
Sameer (full name not disclosed) , who said he is a “double graduate”, is working with the contractor for the last three months.
“There are not any jobs exterior. Companies have closed because of the pandemic. One wants a job for incomes livelihood and to handle the household,” he told a local news channel.
Anil, another worker, said he is an “IT engineer”.
Some of them had white collar jobs which they lost during the pandemic.
To save on transport costs, they walk from Diva to Mumbra, a distance of over 10 km, everyday for work.
As they needed income, one of them approached an agent of the civic contractor who undertakes pre-monsoon works a few weeks ago, and expressed willingness to join his team of labourers.
The corporator of the ward in Mumbra where the work is underway said she felt sympathy for them as they had lost their regular jobs. “I salute them for his or her work,” she added.
“One shouldn’t look down upon any work. After all we’ve to outlive and assist the household. What if we’re put up graduates or double graduates? Our levels usually are not going to assist us at current,” said another man.
“This job will final for a few weeks. Then we must search for one other supply of revenue,” he mentioned.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
