Chennai: Tamil Nadu Excise and Prohibition Minister S. Muthusamy has stirred up a hornet’s nest along with his assertion that folks into “heavy work” resembling sanitation staff who drink early within the morning shouldn’t be spoken ailing of.
The minister additionally claimed that the individuals who drink alcohol within the morning shouldn’t be known as “drunkards”.
“There are individuals who eat alcohol and go for heavy work. Sanitary staff who drink to tolerate the sewage shouldn’t be known as drunkards,” Muthusamy had instructed a press convention Monday.
Housing and City Improvement Minister Muthusamy, who was given the extra cost of prohibition and excise, had confronted hassle earlier as effectively when he introduced 4 July that Tamil Nadu was contemplating the sale of liquor in tetra packs for which it sought the opinion of political events and 18 commerce unions.
The following day, the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) had warned of a state-wide protest if liquor was offered in tetra packs.
On this present episode, the opposition events have criticised the remarks saying that the minister shouldn’t talk about “‘justice for alcoholics”. In addition they suggested the Tamil Nadu authorities to raised the lives of sanitation staff by mechanising the cleansing work they need to undertake day by day.
BJP state president Ok. Annamalai tweeted that the “answer is to not promote alcohol within the morning, however to vary the established order of guide sewage disposal by sanitation staff and discover options”.
PMK chief Anbumani Ramadoss, too, emphasised on bettering the lives of sanitation staff.
“It’s true that the scent contained in the drains is insufferable. The answer is to not promote alcohol to them within the morning,” Ramadoss stated in a press release, including that the answer must be to mechanise sanitation work.
Even because the state authorities via an order in 2022 banned sanitation staff from guide scavenging, Annamalai questioned if “the minister (Muthusamy) is asking to have interaction in guide waste disposal after consuming liquor within the morning hours”.
Fifty-six sanitation staff have died within the final 5 years, he asserted.
The BJP state chief additional demanded that the Tamil Nadu authorities implement the Centre’s varied schemes for the event of sanitation staff.
“For the rehabilitation of sanitation staff, the Union authorities offers Rs 40,000 per family. For talent improvement coaching of sanitation staff’ households, the Centre offers Rs 3,000 per 30 days for 2 years. The Union authorities grants as much as Rs 5 lakh for self employment. The Centre additionally offers medical health insurance and Namasthe scheme,” he elaborated.
The Tamil Nadu authorities, which has not used these schemes up to now, ought to implement them instantly, he argued.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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