No toilets, ID cards or safety gear: Survey flags plight of 8,000 sanitation workers in Raipur

A sanitation worker is someone whose job helps keep homes, streets, workplaces, and public spaces clean and hygienic. Typical duties can include collecting waste, cleaning toilets and drains, handling sewage, and maintaining sanitation facilities. The source does not list specific duties performed by the surveyed workers, so these examples reflect the usual meaning of the term.

Their work is often essential but overlooked. The Raipur survey showed that sanitation workers faced shortages in basic living and working needs. It found 336 workers without toilets at home and 749 working without proper safety and sanitation kits. These figures connect their daily work with serious gaps in support.

The survey also recorded missing identity documents, insurance benefits, and pension support for families. More than 500 law interns surveyed around 8,000 workers over nine months. The findings were sent to district authorities, putting these working and living conditions before officials responsible for action.

The survey covered around 8,000 sanitation workers in Raipur. More than 500 law interns conducted it in batches of 25 to 30, working with police officers. The fieldwork lasted nine months, from the previous winter until July that year. Its scale made it possible to document problems affecting workers across the city.

The findings showed several basic gaps. A total of 336 workers did not have toilet facilities at home. Another 1,907 lacked important cards, including Voter ID, Aadhaar, ration, and Ayushman cards. The report also found 749 workers without proper safety and sanitation kits.

Insurance coverage was another major gap. Some 2,387 workers had not received benefits under PMJJBY and PMSBY. The survey also recorded pension, substance-use, and wage-related problems. Its results were sent to Raipur and Bilaspur district authorities for action, although the article gives no later outcome.

Law interns conducted the survey for the Chhattisgarh State Human Rights Commission in Raipur. More than 500 interns worked in groups of 25 to 30 with police officers and surveyed around 8,000 sanitation workers. The Commission chose this approach to document workers’ problems while giving students practical, on-field experience.

The interns came from several institutions, including Chhattisgarh College, Amity University, Hidayatullah National Law University, and Pt Ravishankar Shukla University. They visited workers over nine months, continuing until July that year. Their work produced data on toilets, identity documents, safety equipment, insurance, pensions, substance abuse, and wage practices.

The survey report was sent to the Raipur and Bilaspur district authorities for action. Acting SHRC chairperson Giridhari Nayak said the pandemic had shown sanitation workers’ importance. The initiative therefore aimed to spotlight their needs so they would not be left behind.

In 1,076 cases, contractors had confiscated workers’ ATM cards and passbooks. These documents and payment tools gave contractors control over workers’ access to their wages. The report said this enabled contractors to pay lesser wages by taking a commission.

The mechanism was direct. If a contractor held the card or passbook, a worker could not freely manage or verify the money entering the account. The contractor could therefore reduce the amount paid while presenting the deduction as a commission. The article does not specify the size of these deductions or describe the exact payment process.

A SHRC official said workers quietly accepted such conditions because they were helpless and needed money. This finding shows that wage problems were linked to workers’ financial dependence. The report sent to district authorities identified the practice for possible action, but the article does not state what happened afterward.

Aadhaar and voter cards are important identity documents. Ration cards can connect households with the public distribution system, while Ayushman cards relate to health coverage. Together, such documents can help workers and their families prove identity and seek public benefits. The article groups them among the important cards workers lacked.

The Raipur survey found that 1,907 workers did not have important identification cards, including Voter ID, Aadhaar, ration, and Ayushman cards. Without these documents, workers may face difficulty applying for or receiving services linked to identity, food support, or healthcare. The article does not identify which particular card each worker lacked.

This gap matters because sanitation workers also reported wider financial and social insecurity. Parents of 319 workers did not receive old-age or widow pensions, and 2,387 workers lacked PMJJBY or PMSBY benefits. Ensuring documents and scheme access could help connect families with available support, although the article reports no completed intervention.

PMJJBY stands for Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana. PMSBY stands for Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana. The article describes them together as government-backed life insurance and health insurance schemes. Their purpose is to provide financial protection when insured people face serious risks covered by the schemes.

The survey found that 2,387 sanitation workers had not received benefits under either programme. This meant that many workers were not getting the protection the schemes were intended to provide. The article does not give details about individual claims, premiums, eligibility, or the specific event covered in each case.

Insurance is especially relevant for workers whose families may depend on their earnings. A gap in coverage can leave households without the scheme support they were meant to receive. The survey brought this problem to official attention alongside missing documents, unsafe work, and pension gaps. Its report was sent to Raipur and Bilaspur district authorities for action.

Protective equipment, toilets, fair wages, and social insurance support sanitation workers’ safety and stability. Their work is connected to cleanliness and public health, while the workers themselves need protection from workplace hazards and financial shocks. The source does not detail specific hazards, so this explanation uses the general importance of safe sanitation work.

Raipur’s survey showed how these needs overlap. It found 749 workers without proper safety and sanitation kits, 336 without toilets at home, and 2,387 without PMJJBY or PMSBY benefits. In 1,076 cases, contractors had confiscated ATM cards and passbooks, enabling lower wage payments through commissions.

These are not isolated equipment shortages. They affect workers’ health, household dignity, income, and ability to cope with emergencies. The survey aimed to prevent sanitation workers from being left behind after their major role during the Covid-19 pandemic. Its report was sent to district authorities, creating a basis for follow-up action.