‘Overloading’ of waste collection vehicles in Coimbatore posing safety risk, say drivers
Sanitation workers in Coimbatore are protesting against private contractors who allegedly force them to overload waste collection vehicles beyond safety limits. The union is calling for the Corporation to intervene and enforce legal load capacities to ensure worker safety.
Why it matters
This highlights labor rights issues and the challenges of municipal waste management in urban India.
The Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) Sanitary Workers Wing has alleged that private contractors were setting a daily target of collecting 1,200 kg of waste in each light commercial vehicle (LCV) used for door-to-door collection in the city.
The union sought directions from the Coimbatore Corporation Commissioner to restrict the load to 750 kg per vehicle, which it cited as the permissible carrying capacity.
In a petition to the Commissioner, the wing’s general secretary, BMS Stalin Prabhu, alleged that the contractors were threatening wage deductions and termination of employment if drivers failed to meet the target.
A senior Corporation official, however, said the civic body had not imposed any such target or load limit. If such a requirement existed, it might have been imposed by contractors, the official said.
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