Andhra Pradesh - Kurnool   

Washermen `work' in protest

Special Correspondent

Wash, press clothes in front of Collectorate in support of demands

SYMBOLIC GRIEVANCE: Washermen staging a protest at the Collectorate by enacting the dhobi ghat scene in Kurnool on Tuesday. - Photo: U. Subramanyam

KURNOOL: Washermen, led by Andhra Pradesh Rajaka Vruthidarula Sangham staged a demonstration at the Collectorate here on Tuesday in support of their demands. The protesters simulated "dhobi ghat" conditions at the entrance of the Collectorate and "washed" and "pressed" clothes.

After two-hour long protest, the representatives were allowed into the Collectorate to present a memorandum to District Revenue Officer A. Ramaswamy.

Poor conditions

The leaders said washermen families were working in appalling conditions in the district in the absence of dhobi ghats. None of the 200 registered societies of the community received financial assistance.

In the 900 panchayats, four municipal towns and one city in the district, there were only 60 dhobi ghats.Washermen, who worked for nine hours a day, were not remunerated properly, they alleged. Many families migrated to nearby cities.

The protesters urged the Government to give their children free education, fill dhobi vacancies in Government departments and provide financial assistance.

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