Community Visit: A Study on Railway Cleaner Community

MAMC 2^nd SEMESTER ASSIGNMENT

Development Communication

Paper Code: 20300

Community Visit: Railway Cleaner Community

Academic Year 2018

Centre for Studies Mass Communication and Journalism

Dibrugarh University,

Dibrugarh, Assam – 793101

Submitted to:

Abhijit Handique

Assistant Professor, CSJMC; DU

Submitted by:-

NAMES:

IenfaMehajabinRohman

DinkeyGogoi

BISWAROOP MAZUMDAR

SANGHAMITRA CHAKRAVARTY

VIKISIE KINNY

NABA KUMAR BHARALI

MRIDUL GOGOI

BIAKSH NATH

PARISMITA GOGOI

CLASS: 2^ND Semester

Centre for Studies in Journalism and Mass Communication

CONTENTS

1. Acknowledgement

2. Abstract

3. Introduction

4. Background

5. Purpose of the visit

6. Views and Response

7. Objectives

8. Recommendations and Suggestions

9. Observations

10.Community photographs

11.Conclusion

ABSTRACT

New Tinsukia Junction Station

      It is here noted that, I as a student of Journalism and Mass Communication from 2^nd semester of Centre for Studies in Journalism and Mass Communication at Dibrugarh University, went for a Railway Cleaner Community visit in Tinsukia Junction Railway Station. The very aim of our visit to the place is to highlight some issues and problems if they are facing in doing this very job. The main content is to study their livelihood, their needs, their requirements etc. The visit is to get just a glimpse of how they are surviving in their life, and if they are satisfied with their works.

      Hence, as a student of Mass Communication, our work is to talk to them, try to understand them, make them aware of their certain rights. It is very obvious that we cannot help them but atleast we can make them aware of what they need and what they don’t. So, in this visit with them I personally had a lot of experience regarding their way of life which will be further discussed by me on the following papers. And the readers should care about their problems as it is a problem of many personal life working as a cleaners. It is very needed or useful that  we go through  a solution where we can come across certain problems that can be eradicated.And if we can do so it will be very good for our society and also for those cleaners.

INTRODUCTION

      At the very beginning we would like to introduced that it is a report made on Railway Cleaners Community. We have taken this very community to show some habitants and uses of them in the railway cleaning procedure. We want to show there immense work in their field, and do they are provided with some facilities in their work place. We also want to show their personal views regarding their job, their satisfaction, their survival way etc. All this things will be displayed by us on this very report through their personal experience, their views, their interaction with us.

         This cleaners community is a community who are doing the real work of Swachh Bharat, the term which is very much in circulation in today’s time. This cleaners were cleaning the whole railway tracks and also the railway stations. Their work is very much unhygienic which may lead to certain disease and infections. As a student we cannot go and help them, but atleast we can try to highlight their issues and problems from where they are suffering. Their are many tools and techniques that is available, through which their work may get easier. As a human-being we should atleast try to give certain relief to those cleaners, where they may find themselves getting some importance in the society.

        Lastly, the main motive of visiting this railway cleaner community is to go through their certain problems, their issues, their lifestyle. Our motive is only to make them speak a little bit for themselves which they don’t do normally. In addition, through this visit our main motive is to see their internal and external problems closely and to find a solution to this problem as much as we can. Hence, this may result  to something very unusual, or may not get all the focus at a time, but it will surely enhance the mind of the reader to their a little more deeply about their community.

BACKGROUND OF THE CLEANLINESS

A Railway Cleaner

          As it is well-known to us that Honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi launched the ambitious ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’(Clean India Mission) on 2^nd October 2014 at the 145^th birthday anniversary celebration of Shri Mahatma Gandhi. The five years campaign aims to accomplish the vision of a clean India and all objectives as articulated by the Honourable P.M. are to:-

1.    Eliminate open defection by construction toilets for households, community.

2.    Eradicate manual scavenging.

3.    Introduce modern and scientific municipal solid waste management practices.

4.    Enable private sector participation in the sanitation sector.

5.    Change people’s attitude to sanitation and create awareness.

         Through this we got a clean view of Swachh Bharat among the railway communities. But do they are only for the cleaners and not for the common people or the public.

PURPOSE THE VISIT

       As we have visited the Railway Cleaner Community of Tinsukia Junction Railway Station, we got a short view regarding their lifestyle, their works, their needs etc.

     We visited the station around 8.30 A.M. And at the very beginning we took the permission from the Inspector in charge of the station and he called on the supervisor of the cleaner community, who further accompany us to those cleaners. There are almost 9-10 cleaners in the station doing their particular work. Accordingly we talked to the cleaner present their one by one and we asked ask some questions from which we got certain response from them. The interaction session was done almost in 2hours with those cleaners, who talked to us and showed us their work and also talked to us about their problems.

      The main purpose of our visit is to talk to them, to know them, to make them feel free to talk to us. All we want is that they should talk to us and give us some response regarding their work their problems their way of livelihood. Our aim is to take note of the social interactions, characteristics of individuals, and also our purpose is to spending some time with the railway cleaners, specially their problems and conditions with which they are tackling.\

THE VIEWS AND RESPONCE OF THE CLEANERS

Railway Platform

       At the very beginning we gave a short introduction of ourselves to the cleaners community and then we proceed to ask some important questions to them,on which their response was active. On a survey we asked certain questions to the cleaners:-

1.     As a cleaner of a railway station, do you people face some problem?

2.     Do you people face health issues by doing this job?

3.     Is the wages enough for you and your family to survive?

4.     For how many hours you all work daily?

5.     Are you all provided with mask and gloves while working?

6.     Apart from this job do you all work in other field too?

7.     Is the income helps you to make your children go to school?

8.     Is their any specific time of doing this job? If so, then what is the time?

9.     Have you ever face any criticism from the society for doing this job?

10. Do you find this job satisfaction and useful?

     On those certain question their reply was very instant. A 63 years old man name. Speaks that he is doing this job from 2006. He made a clear confession that the salary he is provided is not enough for his family to survive.He also told that,” by earning 250 rupees per day and surviving on it is not easy for us”. Another man name. Who is working from 2014 in this particular station speaks that though they have a specific hour of work from 6.A.M. to 3 A.M. yet many times they need to do the work beyond time, but they are not extra paid for those extra hour. Another man of age 32 says that they are only provided with one set of uniform, if it gets dirty they have no other uniform to wear. He further says that,” At least we should be provided with two sets of uniform so that we can use it on alternate days”. After that another boy of age 28 is been working since 2011 says that by doing this work sometimes they got stomach ache, and he also says that if they face some health issues and can’t come to their work foe 2-3 days,thy were simply knock out of their job and if they face any problem regarding health  on their duty time, they cant take leave and go to home instead they have to work and they have to look after themselves.

       As a whole, all the cleaners wants that at least their wages should be that enough to them to survive themselves and their family. And they too want that they should at least get some leaves so that they can give some time to their family.

OBJECTIVES OF THE VISIT

We have went to the railway cleaner community of Tinsukia Junction Railway Station with our personal objectives. Here our personal objective to visit this community is to see and observe their problems more closely. We went to analyse that did they are facing some problems regarding health on doing this job which is unhygienic and also we went to analyse that is there salary is enough for them to survive themselves and their family.

According to our personal objectives with which we visited the community seems to be very embarrassing. As we questioned to them about their salary and health, their answers were very negative. They all want that their salary should atleast be 350 rupees per day, where they were provided with only 250 per day. According to our point of view, they should get rise in their salary as their work is totally unhygienicand they were like manual scavengers. We have visited the place thinking that they atleast get dress, gloves, shoes and mask but it is very sad to know that they only get one pair of each, and if it get torn then they get no more for many months. Our objectives is to highlight their issues regarding health, which they almost all gave the same reply that they don’t get any help regarding health and also they don’t get leave if they were sick or suffering from any health diseases. On asking them about their contractors, they all replied that their contractor always needs their presence, no matter what the situation is and if they don’t come for a couple of days,, then the contractor under whom this cleaners work use to fire them from thier job.

Lastly, we went to the cleaner community to get to know about their major issues which needs to get concern. And as per our perceptions, the issues on which we were visiting were there major issues too, i.e. the issues of low salary and health problem. From there we came to a conclusion that they are not sad with their profession but they only want that the authority or the contractor give them the normal support they want to survive their livelihood. And hence, we are also in support with the cleaner community on getting their rights. As a citizen everyone has the same right to live and to do anything they want beyond limits. So this railway cleaner also need to get their power and rights they are capable of and should also get equally treat by the people.

RECOMMENDATION AND SUGGESTIONS

After visiting the railway cleaner’s community we as a team indicate some steps or some rules which should be followed to improve the lifestyle of the cleaners as well as for passengers satisfaction.

A)  Absence of stench in the station premises.

B)   Adequate availability of dustbins.

C)   Promptness in cleaning of extremes of dirtiness like night-soil/vomit.

D)  Cleanliness of platform areas.

E)   Availability and conditions of toilets and availability of water in toilets.

F)     Conditions of flooring surface and platforms.

The aesthetic value of the station should be enhanced by giving a horticulture contract for the station along with sanitation contract. Ban on polythene carry bags and plastic cups and plates maybe imposed inside station premises. Education passengers and ensuring their participation in cleanliness. Awards for being station cleanliness friendly passengers, penalty to passengers making station dirty maybe initiated. Station must permit the passengers only one hour before their train timing.

Their are certain suggestions to the contractors, that the cleaners should be provided with adequate amount of salary so that their life become a little easy to live and atleast they should be provided with some first aid that if they get injured or get some health issue during their work, they are given some first aid by the community in charge.

 And lastly, as a recommendation we would like to propose that instead of eradicating those garbage with hands, their should be some machine which can make their work little easy and also not to get any infection on doing such unhygienic work, and last but not the least we would like to say that the society should not make fun or should not laugh at them, instead they should praise them because they are doing a job which is just out of imagination for us to do. We see people on railway station scolding at them and passing comments on them, so this should be totally avoided by the people as it leads to make them feel depressed.

OUR PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS

As a team we went for the visit and we as a whole talked to every single cleaner present there. We made ourselves comfortable with them, and then we talked about their work and also about their problems if they are facing so. our personal observation, we observed a lot of things, at the very beginning we got to see that their are many cleaners who were wearing clothes which were torn on many parts, and we have also seen cleaners who were sweeping and cleaning the track and the platform without wearing any gloves or shoes. On observing further, we also observed that they are not fully happy with their job because they are not getting basic requirements which they want. And also we observed that they are doing their work with full attention but their are public who are not concern of this and are throwing the wastage here and there on the platform and on the tracks, which is very unhelpful for the cleaners. Again on observingand talking we saw that the cleaners were unsatisfied with their salary. As they have to run a family with this salary, it is quite difficult for them.

Lastly, we observed that the community is not getting what they want or in other words we can say that they are being dominated by the society and by the authority too. It can be seen clearly that society itself is not helping them, they are being manipulated by the society. As their work is of low standard, so they are being discriminated from many things and so they cant raise their voice for themselves and so they end up keeping their voice off and doing whatever they are demand for. Their way of living and their economic condition can’t get better until and unless we as a educated and known people will not help them. They don’t find themselves strong enough to rice their voice for themselves until we give some mental support to them and until we make them comfortable to speak for their rights and justice.

So we should work on this matter and also we should try to improve the conditions and also the problems they are facing. The conditions they are facing can be improved but it needs some support and team work.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The following report contains the detailed resultsof the problems and issues of the railway sweeper community. The reports is fully based on the statement that are being provided by the cleaner community of Tinsukia Railway Station (JN). All the provided information is based on their opinion and on their views. We have gone through their views in every possible way.

This task would not have been possible without the guidance of our Chairperson, Sir PratimBaruah and also without the guidance of our faculty in charge, Sir AbhijeetHandique. And hence we would like to thank the railway authority who gave the permission to talk to the railway cleaner community and to look after their problems.

So we acknowledge the help and support of all these participants without whose cooperationthis report wouldn’t have been possible. We hope this report will facilitate the understanding of current situation and help in decisions making for the benefit of the entire nation.

CONCLUSION

Lastly, we came to a conclusion that the railway cleaner community is doing their work with full denotation. But at the same time it is very important that the passengers should also get certain education on ensuring their participation in cleanliness. Their should be some awards for being station cleanliness friendly passengers, penalty to passengers making station dirty may be initiated. And also the stations must permit the passengers only one hour before their train timing. By doing this above process, the cleaner community will get certain relief and also the station will be more better place to spend time.

As it is a century of everything being more active and less time consuming, the sttion should have effective use of CCTV cameras to monitor cleanliness. Hence we should have a look to the cleaners community also so that they get some priority on their job. They should also know the importance of themselves when people will term them as useful for their society, as their job is a very important job, which is related to health and hygiene. We conclude with a line that the society should see them as normal people who are on their job of cleanliness and  maintaining a clean and healthy society.