WAS STATE ADVISORY COMMITTEE FORMED UNDER SEC.6 OF DOMESTIC WORKERS ACT CONSULTED BEFORE ISSUING NOTIFICATIONS REGARDING DOMESTIC WORKERS?
DIFFERENTIATE COMMON SPACES AND PUBLIC PLACES. ARE FACE MASKS NOT MANDATORY IN BOTH?
IS GOVT OF TELANGANA COMMUNICATING IN BOTH THE STATE LANGUAGES VIZ., TELUGU & URDU WITH PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY ON COVID19?
Sub: MA&UD Department – COVID-19 – Permissible activities during the Lockdown period – Clarification issued – Reg.
Ref:
1. Memo No. 3654/General/2020 Dated: 06-05-2020;
2. Domestic workers Welfare and Social Security Act 2010;
3. G.O.Ms.No.64 Dated: 07.05.2020
We urge you to peruse the below and issue clarifications/ amendments promptly. We suggest the drafting skills of such circulars that touch the day to day life of our citizens, be honed up.
A. At para 2 you have used terms ‘domestic help including maids and house help’. Similarly, at para 4 you have used terms such as ‘household help including maids, domestic help’. Likewise, at para 5 you mentioned ‘domestic help services including maids’
Whereas , Domestic workers Welfare and Social Security Act 2010, defines ‘Domestic Worker’ at 1(f) as follows:
1(f) workers “Domestic Worker” means, a person who is employed for remuneration whether in cash or kind , in any house hold ‘or similar Establishments’ through any agency or directly, either on a temporary or contract basis or permanent, part time or full time to do the household or allied work includes a “Replacement worker” who is working and as a replacement for the main workers for a short and specific period of time as agreed with the main worker; EXPLANATION: household and allied work includes but is not limited to activities such as cooking or a part of it, washing clothes or utensils, cleaning or dusting of the house, driving , caring/nursing of the children/sick/old/mentally challenged or disabled persons.
‘Hence, we expect you to refrain from using any other term except ‘Domestic Worker’ as respectfully laid down by the Domestic Workers Act 2010.
B. While at para 2 circular seeks to address clarification sought as follows;
“A number of RWAs and apartment owners as well as gated communities have sought clarification whether outsiders including delivery staff, domestic help including maids and house help can be permitted during this Lockdown period.“
The notification tries to clarify only about ‘domestic help, maids’ and does not clarify about ‘delivery staff’.
Hence, we urge you to define ‘delivery staff’. As it has come to our notice that RWAs while allowing the milk delivery inside the apartments at each door of the apartment, they are not allowing newspaper delivery inside the gate. These difference of opinions in many RWAs is causing unnecessary rifts amongst dwellers.
Hence, We urge you to give a science-oriented delienation of term ‘delivery staff’ that is mentioned in circular at para 2.
C. At para 4 it is stated that “..in the process exposes the employer of such domestic helps and those around such as security men etc., on a daily basis.“
When security men (different from watchmen who stay in a rented accommodation within the apartment) can come to apartments/gated communities on duty on daily basis, how it is that domestic workers attending to their duty in households are singled out as potential communicators.
It has been mentioned in ‘the Hindu’ paper how many a elderly couple/family suffered due to sudden loss of their domestic workers’ attendance.
Hence, we urge you to delineate guidelines to RWAs to not dispute on domestic workers attendance subject to following standard safety Covid19 procedures.
D. With reference to GO 64 of 6.5.2020 it is stated as follows sans clarity:
“14. In red zones, restaurants, barbershops, spas & saloons shall not be permitted to run. Taxis, cab aggregators and auto-rickshaws shall also not be permitted.
15. In orange and green zones, all activities except those in Para-4 above are permitted, provided that taxis shall operate with a maximum of two passengers only in orange zones.“
While, it is clarified that red zones do not have any pooled sort of travel services such as autos, buses, taxis, cabs, rules regarding green zones that are relaxed are not clear. It is not known how many are to be seated in an auto? Are shared autos and tempos that crowd in more than minimum, or even if autos that are 3-seater be allowed? Can cabs carry more than two in orange zones?
We urge you to issue clear advisories so that our frontliners especially police and other officials can implement it smoothly and effectively.
E. 6. ‘In order to prevent transmission of COVID 19, it shall be mandatory for everyone to wear a face cover/mask in public places. Each violation shall attract a fine of Rs.1000/-.’
It would be appropriate to define ‘public places’. Within apartments, the corridors and ground floors and garage are all common spaces, if not vastly public places, even though delivery staff and security staff from outside are allowed here. Isn’t a face mask mandatory in these common spaces? Or, is the government considering face masks mandatory only when out on the main roads?
Please see our open appeal of 5 April 2020 when we appealed to all Indians to sport face masks and make face masks and to give face masks to others as an effective strategy to contain Covid19. But, alas.
Hence, we urge you to bring in more clarity on places of use of face mask and how to maintain face masks, so that citizens adhere to it out of volition and not out of surveillance and penalty threats. Citizens deserve more respect than being monitored, threatened. Citizens have worked shoulder to shoulder with governance to rid humanity from Covid19 pandemic.
F. All posters and ring tones relating to Covid19 have been in either in Telugu and English, but none in Urdu that is a state language. All Urdu speaking were forced to hear Covid19 hello tunes on mobiles in Telugu. How do we expect implementation and large awareness in this manner? We urge that every public eye-catching poster, jingles, ring tones, etc be issued in the 3-language formula.
We now urge you to issue notification on the above with appropriate clarity in language and content. As always, our services are available for you in the public interest.
Best,
Dr Lubna Sarwath, Socialist Party (India), Telangana State General Secretary, Hyderabad
Gopal Patangay, State Vice President, SP(I), Hyderabad
Maqbool Mateen, President, United Citizens Forum
