Civic body accused of ignoring SC order

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, December 16

In the absence of required machinery for cleaning sewers, sewer men are often forced to enter manholes without any safety gear.

Safai Karamchari Andolan, an NGO working for the rights of sewer men, has accused the civic body of not following the Supreme Court orders to stop manual scavenging and safety of sewer men during emergency.

Pardeep, a sewer man, fainted after inhaling poisonous gas when he entered a manhole in Ward Number 3 recently. He was taken to a private hospital for further treatment. Now, the police have registered an FIR against those who allegedly forced him to enter the manhole.

Manual scavenging is prohibited under the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013. The Safai Karamchari Andolan has raised questions over the role of civic body for failing to implement the act in right manner.

Subhash Desawer, state convener of Safai Karamchari Andolan, said: “It seems the officials concerned have not gone through the guidelines of the Act that prohibits hazardous cleaning and also directions of Supreme Court. A sewer man can enter a manhole in emergency when the machinery stops working. The MC has failed to arrange equipment and machinery for cleaning sewers. It has also failed to ensure complete safety kit for sewer men in emergency cases.”

“Our organisation moved the Supreme Court against manual scavenging in the country. The Supreme Court had ordered states to abolish manual scavenging in 2014. Now, we will conduct a meeting and make a plan to file contempt petition as the civic body is not serious in stopping manual scavenging,” he said.

Sources said the civic body was yet to purchase jetting and vacuum machines for cleaning sewers. The officials of the operations and maintenance wing had earlier claimed that they have sufficient number of safety kits and they don’t allow sewer men to enter manholes without wearing the safety gear. MC’s Additional Commissioner Sanyam Aggarwal could not be contacted for comments.