Your test swab could’ve come from U’nagar
Pictures of swab collections for Covid testing are familiar to the public by now. For every sample, a swab is freshly unpacked, which one assumes was packaged in safe and sanitary conditions. Or, it could be ‘made in Ulhasnagar’, going by a video that went viral on Tuesday. There is at least one slum in this distant suburb, where women and children are engaged in this activity, shows a video clip shared by locals from Khemani Sant Dnyaneshwar Nagar in Ulhasnagar 2. The clip shows the task of packaging these swabs underway in at least ten households and shockingly, those on the job are not following any safety protocol – no one is wearing masks or gloves or using sanitiser.
The swab kits are supposed to be readied at a firm in Ambarnath. But through contractors, the assignment reaches the slums. “Many of the people here are jobless. We are paid Rs 20 for packing 1,000 sticks. By packing 5,000 such kits, we can earn Rs 100. If there are five people in the family, we earn Rs 500 a day. We also rope in kids playing around in the neighbourhood, telling them to earn some pocket money instead of being engrossed in their mobiles,” said a 30-year-old woman busy packing swabs.
Pravin Malve, a local activist said, “If a citizen roams around without a mask he is fined for it. The FDA and local police should take action against the contractor who brought this work to the slum and also the firm that has violated Covid norms,” he added.
Every other person can be seen bringing the box to their home and the place is a mess, with packing material strewn all over the place. Ulhasnagar is reputed for manufacturing duplicate items and the locals have demanded a proper investigation by police. Sources claim af ter the video went viral, the FDA and local police reached the spot, seized the materials and have started an investigation. However, according to Yuvraj Badane, Public Relations Officer and Deputy Municipal Commissioner of Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation, “The corporation gets the swab kit from the state government. We cannot take action or raid the spot. But since it was found in our jurisdiction, our team along with police visited the spot and gathered details. We have sent details to the Food and Drug Administration, who will take further action against them.”