Thrikkakara municipality to implement equal-pay, equal-work for HKS members

The Thrikkakara municipality is set to streamline doorstep collection of waste for plugging holes in coverage and ensure equal-pay, equal-work among Haritha Karma Sena (HKS) members.

The municipality had faced difficulties after enlisting 43 new HKS members, which caused concern among existing members about potential income loss. The concern arose despite the existing members were struggling to manage waste collection of both biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste across all 43 divisions in the municipality.

“We have now engaged the newly inducted HKS members to conduct a household survey to fill data gaps. Once the existing members are assured of equal-pay, equal-work, the new members will be deployed for waste collection,” said municipality health wing sources.

At present, there is no proper division of work among the existing 70-odd HKS members. Some teams cover multiple wards, while others cover just one, undermining the principle of equal work and equal pay, as fees are allocated to the teams. Teams covering affluent areas might receive more than the prescribed ₹200 per household for collecting biodegradable waste, while those assigned to lower-income areas may cover fewer households, leading to income disparity.

The balance between the collection of biodegradable and plastic waste by the same HKS teams remains problematic. Biodegradable waste is supposed to be collected every two days from households, while plastic waste is to be collected once a month from both households and establishments.

“Since biodegradable waste from all households in an area may not be covered in a single day, the teams end up collecting waste almost every day. There is also no specific day for plastic waste collection, which undermines the purpose of the service. People might dispose of plastic waste through alternative means rather than wait, uncertain of when HKS members may turn up for its collection,” said health wing sources.

The municipality plans to address the deficiencies by deploying HKS members in a more streamlined manner to avoid confusion and ensure proper separation of biodegradable and plastic waste collection.