Harijans demand 80percent quota
Professional sweepers form a human chain in front of the National Press Club in the city yesterday.Photo: STAR
Professional sweepers, widely known as Harijans, yesterday formed a human chain in front of the Jatiya Press Club in the city and other parts of the country demanding reservation of 80 percent quota in all recruitments as sweepers and cleaners. They also protested recruitment of mainstream workforce at the city corporations and different government offices. Referring to recent staffing the Harijan leaders said they are being gradually replaced from the occupation they have known for more than a hundred years. According to the recruitment guidelines of the city corporations, Harijans will get preference for cleaner posts. However it is being violated regularly, said Nirmal Chandra, secretary general of Bangladesh Harijans Oikya Parishad. Recently the offices of Chittagong police super, Sylhet civil surgeon, Dhaka Medical College and Pirojpur civil surgeon recruited sweepers. Harijans were deprived in all these cases, claimed Nirmal. Harijans keep the city clean and for this occupation they are considered as untouchable, which forces them to an isolated social status. For this isolation they cannot go out of their community and join the mainstream workforce, lamented the Harijan leader. "Cleaning dirt is the only livelihood we have known over the years. As we do not know any other skill, this makes us incapable of moving on to alternative professions," said Nirmal. Krishna Lal, president, Sham Lal, publicity secretary, Baiz Lal, adviser of the parishad, were present, among others. According to parishad's assessment, there are about 5.5 million Harijans in the country. Also known as the Jaat (professional) sweepers, they are originally the descendants of immigrants from Kanpur, Nagpur and Andhra Pradesh of India. The British brought them in 1830s and afterwards to provide all sorts of unskilled services for the colonial rulers, said the leaders. Their job includes sweeping the streets and offices, clearing clogs in the sewerage lines, cleaning up manholes, water reservoirs, hospital wastes and handling carcasses. Many of them are employed in crematoriums.
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