Brooms down, but heads held high: NMC fetes retired sanitation staff first time ever
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Nagpur: With a voice filled with pride along with a hint of fatigue, Suresh Guhe, who retired as a sanitation worker, said, "We cleaned what others didn't even want to look at — plastic-strewn roads, clogged drains, overflowing bins.
And even now, the city hasn't learned to keep itself clean."
On Saturday, Guhe and 39 other retired sanitation workers were honoured for the first time by the Solid Waste Management Department of the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) in a heartfelt ceremony that acknowledged decades of unglamorous, back-breaking work that often went unnoticed.
Held at the Dr Panjabrao Deshmukh Standing Committee Hall, the event marked a historic shift in the way the civic body treats its sanitation staff.
Each worker was presented with a tulsi sapling, a shawl, a coconut, and a certificate — small tokens that carried the weight of long-overdue gratitude.
Among those honoured was Kavita Samundre, who retired after 32 years of service. She recalled the daily grind with a quiet strength. "People think cleaning is a lowly job, but we did it with dignity," she said.
"Rain or shine, even during the Covid lockdown, we were on the streets before the city even woke up.
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Recognition like this for the first time fills us with a sense of pride," she added.
For decades, these workers swept streets, cleaned open drains, and managed public waste under difficult and often hazardous conditions. Many did so without adequate protective gear, and almost always without public appreciation. "There were days when we did the cleaning during heavy rains or festivals, without any leave or acknowledgement," said Chhayatai Mahajan, who discharged her duties in Dharampeth zone.
"Getting recognised at the headquarters today feels like our efforts to keep the city clean were appreciated," she added.
Deputy municipal commissioner Rajesh Bhagat, who presided over the ceremony, praised the retirees for their dedication, saying, "Cleanliness is not just a department's job — it's a city's character. But the character of our sanitation workers has been exceptional."
Chief sanitation officer Dr Gajendra Mahalle also acknowledged their indispensable role in keeping Nagpur's public health infrastructure intact.
"Nagpur has a new identity today because of their service. It's only right we honour them," he said.
Though the event was celebratory, many retirees expressed concern over the persistent lack of civic sense plaguing the city — widespread littering, garbage dumping in open spaces, and an utter disregard for sanitation rules.
"We've retired, but the mission for a clean city isn't over," one honouree said. For once, these men and women found themselves in the spotlight — not as invisible workers now confined to the margins of the society, but as the custodians of public hygiene who upheld the city's health, one broomstroke at a time.
The honour, though symbolic, marked a step towards restoring the dignity of a workforce too long ignored.
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