IMC fails to pay its workers for 5/6 months

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Dec 30: Sanitation workers under the Imphal Municipal Corporation (IMC) have not been paid their salaries for at least 5 months, said a highly reliable source.
These sanitation workers include regular, contract, muster roll staff.
Beside the workers, NGOs engaged by the IMC have also not been paid their pending dues, said the source.
Speaking to this paper, several sanitation workers said they are facing severe financial issues with the IMC holding their pay for the last 5/6 months.
"We work day and night at Khwairamband and other areas of Imphal to help keep the city clean. Not paid for 5-6 months, we are facing serious financial problems, we are unable to run our families," said a worker.
The workers shared that many of them are from far off places.
"We are in a dire condition. Some of us are walking to work on foot because we have no money to spare on auto-fare," said a worker.
"Emoinu and New Year are coming, and our families, especially the children, want to celebrate the festivities. But sadly, we have no money," said another.
Another said, many of the sanitation  workers are unable to pay tuition fees of their children.
"With New Year, there will be fresh admission for children in schools. If IMC doesn't pay us our salaries, we would have no money for paying school admission fees," said a worker.
The workers said they are expecting the IMC to act immediately and pay their due salaries.
The workers have in the past faced similar issues, and it had a toll on the families of the sanitation workers, said the workers, anticipating immediate actions to address their grievances.
On the health of sanitation workers, they said health screenings are done but not routinely.
"On occasions, we don't even get the results of blood tests done during screening," said a worker.
Notably, Municipalities are to conduct free periodic health camps to screen the physical, mental health of sanitation workers and ensure vaccination (Tetanus, Diphtheria). Sanitation workers must have access to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
Significantly, the Government of India had launched the National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE) in 2023.
NAMASTE aims to ensure dignity, safety, and welfare for Sewer/Septic Tank Workers (SSWs) by eliminating hazardous manual cleaning, promoting mechanized solutions, providing skill training, health insurance (under AB-PMJAY), safety gear (PPE), and supporting entrepreneurship to transition them to dignified livelihoods.
The scheme expanded its mandate in June 2024 to include waste pickers.
Proper implementation of the scheme in Manipur could prove beneficial for sanitation workers.