Big B buys machines for manual scavengers

Mumbai: Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan has fulfilled a promise he made to help manual scavengers by arranging machines.

"At the NDTV Cleanathon 'Banega Swachh India', seeing the inhuman plight of the manual scavenger, I had committed to buy 50 machines for them. Today I fulfilled that promise! 25 small individual machines and one large truck machine gifted to BMC," Amitabh tweeted early on Sunday.

In a letter dated November 24, and addressed to the Manual Scavengers Association (MSA) and the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the actor said he wanted to do something to prevent manual scavengers from physically and manually going down the manholes and sewer drainages.

"My contribution was to prevent the dehumanising work of these scavengers and to give them the respect and dignity in society," Big B wrote.

The actor had committed Rs 50 lakh towards purchase of machines for the workers.

"I am donating a large machine to the BMC and with the balance funding, donating smaller machines to the individual workers," Amitabh said.

He has urged the BMC and MSA to give a report consistently on the right and correct usage of the equipment.

The actor has been actively working to help farmers as well.