Karnataka High Court schools BBMP over lack of safety measures for sanitation workers
Bengaluru: The BBMP is neglecting the safety needs of sanitation workers (Pourakarmikas) even when the number of COVID-19 infection cases is increasing among them, the Karnataka High Court on Tuesday said.
Chief Justice A S Oka, led the divisional bench for the hearing of the PIL.
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The advocate for the petitioner told the bench that the pourakarmikas and the sanitation staff at the COVID-19 hospitals have not been provided PPE kits, sanitizers, or masks. The BBMP has 17,000 pourakarmikas and many of them have already tested positive for Coronavirus, he added.
Also, as many as 93 residents of the Deepanjali Nagar ward have been tested for Coronavirus, and 23 have been confirmed positive. The BBMP has told the pourakarmikas to go for home quarantine if they test positive or show symptoms of infection. The pourakarmikas, however, reside in very small houses in slums and if they opt for home quarantine, the chances of the virus spreading are all the more, he explained.
The bench, hearing the case, expressed dissatisfaction that the BBMP had not provided safety equipment.
The lawyer who argued for the BBMP said that efforts will be made to solve the problems of the pourakarmikas. A meeting will be held, chaired by the joint commissioner of the solid waste management division, immediately, he assured the bench.
Hearing the lawyers, the bench instructed that the safety of pourakarmikas be considered seriously and the workers be provided safety equipment immediately.
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AIITA welcomes Karnataka’s ban on obscene songs in school events
Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.
AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.
“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.
He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.
“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.
According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.
In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.
AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.
