Author: Olwe Sudharak
Place: Thane
Publisher: Mahajan Geeta (Bharatiya Mahila Federation Thane Samiti)
Year: 2013
Pages: 144
Subject: Bombay/ Mumbai
Sub-Subject: Bombay
Keyword: Conservancy workers, BMC, Sweepers, Garbage Collection, Poverty, Search for Justice, Untold Story
Shelf: C9R2
Accession No: B1571
Abstract: This narrative sheds light on the harsh conditions faced by 40,000 conservancy workers employed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, who endure dangerous, dehumanizing labor in tasks like garbage collection and street sweeping. Largely uneducated and socially ostracized, they live in poverty, struggling with debt, addiction, and abuse. Generational cycles of hardship persist, with widows inheriting the work after their husbands’ deaths. The narrator’s personal encounter with this reality ignites a commitment to advocate for the dignity, rights, and justice of these marginalized workers. The story calls for urgent recognition and action to address their long-standing suffering and neglect.