Hard times for zoo staff facing job hazards
The Government is yet to fill in 13 vacancies in the keeper's post
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: K. S. Maneesh, the 32-year-old Zoo daily wages keeper, who was attacked by a sambar deer at the city Zoo on Saturday evening is recuperating at the Thiruvananthapuram medical college.
Museum and Zoo director K. Gangadharan will submit a report before the Government to meet the injured keepers’ medical expenses.
The clamour to make more than 30 daily wage labourers at the Museum and Zoo department permanent employees have been falling on deaf ears for years now.
A resident of Kallayam near Mukkola in the capital city, Maneesh has been working as a daily wages labourer for the last eight years. Usually sambar deer during the season of shedding horns are in the habit of attacking the herd. Currently there are about 160 deer in the city Zoo.
A seven-year-old male sambar deer attacked Maneesh when he was cleaning the enclosure. He suffered fracture of his ribs and was immediately taken to the General Hospital. Later, he was shifted to the surgical unit in the Medical College where he is currently recuperating.
“Due to the injuries inflicted on his chest, he has difficulty in breathing. Maneesh’s family is having a difficult time as his sister is convalescing from a bout of pneumonia. There should be some system where the Government compensates for the working days lost as well as meets the medical expenses of the daily wager when they meet with ah accident while on duty”, said a top Zoo official.
A daily wages labourer take home Rs 350 per day on days he reports for work, but does not get any uniform, risk allowance or chappal.
There are part time keepers working in the Zoo who would earn under Rs 6,500 per month and get the uniform, risk allowance and chappal.
The Government is yet to fill in 13 vacancies in the keeper's post. The Museum and Zoo department is one establishment which requires service of keepers round the clock.
“If the Government takes steps to fill in the 13 keeper vacancies, it would be a boon as those daily wages labourers who are having up to 12 years of service would benefit from it. Depending on the retirement vacancy, part time keepers can also be accommodated”, said another top official to Deccan Chronicle.