Ranadive’s death due to jaundice on July 4 was among the latest entries in the PMC’s Employment Welfare Register. However, there’s no mention of his 35-year-old widow, Chhaya, and son Kiran.

“He had not been keeping well for quite a while, often complaining of stomach-ache and dizziness. This work in garbage heaps claimed his life. We kept him in hospital for three months but he succumbed,” Chhaya said.

“He worked with the PMC for 22 years, including 10 years on daily wages, and was our sole bread earner. The municipal administration has promised a job for Kiran, but it has been three months now. Who knows?,” she added.

Kiran, who has studied up to eighth standard, has to shoulder the responsibility of the house. He is presently working for private contractors, while nurturing the hope that PMC soon sends him a call letter to join as a garbage collector like his father.

“What’s the alternative? I know this PMC job of collecting garbage will kill me like it did my father. But it is permanent income. Right now what I earn is insufficient to make ends meet,” said the 19-year-old lad.

Kiran knows his education is inadequate for landing a decent job. Besides, there are family debts that have mounted to Rs 50,000. “Most of it was taken from private moneylenders during my father’s hospitalisation,” he added.

His mother says the PMC had recently handed over a cheque of Rs 15,000 as financial assistance under the Employee Welfare Scheme.

Gorakh’s younger brother, Rajendra, also works as a sweeper with the PMC’s Karve Road ward office. “My brother started working in conservancy department much before me when there were no safety equipment. The PMC has started providing hand gloves, gumboots and face masks now,” he said.

The working conditions for the civic conservancy staff is just as bad at all the municipal corporations and local bodies across the state, said Virdas Chavan, Chairman, Maharashtra State Sanitation Workers Commission.

“We’ve been urging the local bodies to provide safety equipment to these workers. The hazards associated with working amid filth have reduced the average life expectancy of the conservancy workers. This is something that needs to be tackled on a war footing,” said Chavan.

He said municipal administrators should launch awareness programmes for these workers as all of them were illiterate and needed to be told about the risks involved in the work they do and the safety measures the needed to take.