Karwar: Uttara Kannada Deputy Commissioner (DC) K. Lakshmi Priya has instructed all urban local body officials in the district to prioritize the construction of houses for civic workers under the Gruha Bhagya scheme, ensuring proper housing facilities for all.
Presiding over the district-level awareness meeting for sanitation workers at the DC office on Thursday, she emphasized the need to expedite the construction of residential houses within municipal limits. She directed officials to complete ongoing housing projects swiftly and allocate them to workers. In cases where land shortage posed a challenge, she advised reaching out to the respective taluk tehsildars for assistance.
The DC issued strict instructions that manual cleaning of manholes and sewage pits must be completely avoided and that only suction and jetting machines should be used for such operations.
She also directed all urban local bodies to ensure that civic workers receive their salaries within the stipulated time every month and that deductions for EPF and ESI contributions are made and paid to the concerned departments. The District Labor Officer was instructed to monitor compliance regularly.
DC Lakshmi Priya further mandated the provision of essential safety gear, including gumboots, sanitizers, gloves, masks, uniforms, and raincoats, to all civic workers and ordered officials to ensure their proper usage.
Additionally, she stressed that health checkups must be conducted for civic workers every three months, with a mandatory master health checkup once a year. She instructed authorities to provide daily nutritious meals for workers and to ensure that rest houses equipped with basic facilities are constructed for their use.
She also ordered an inspection of all open wells and borewells, both government-owned and private, within municipal limits. Officials were directed to take immediate steps to cover them and obtain certification from local authorities confirming their closure.
The meeting was attended by District Urban Development Cell Project Director Stella Varghese, District Social Welfare Officer Umesh, Municipal Commissioner Jagadish Hulagajji, officials from various urban local bodies, and members of the district-level awareness committee.