Families’ wait for relief continues

Ramkrishan Upadhyay

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 21

For two families of sewer men who died while cleaning sewer lines, wait for compensation seems to be endless as neither the Administration nor the Municipal Corporation have given them due amount as fixed by the Supreme Court.

The families have been running from pillar to post to get the compensation for years, but their efforts go in vain. In the past five years, six sewer men died while cleaning sewer lines. While some of the sewer men got the compensation, the families of the two sewer men - Happy and Jaipal - are still waiting for the compensation.

Mukesh, wife of Jaipal, said her husband died in 2011 while cleaning the sewer line and she was not paid anything after the incident. She said no one had visited her family for years. While she is doing household works to run the family, no one in the family has been given regular job.

Sonu, Jaipal’s elder son, said his younger brother was still working as a daily wager in the department and had not been regularised.

The family of another sewer man is also facing the similar fate. Kiran, wife of Happy, said their bad days started with the death of her husband in 2012. Kiran, who resides in a small house in Mani Majra, said with three children it was not possible for her to run the family with meagre income. She approached various authorities, but help comes from nowhere.

BR Tisawarh, President, Chandigarh Dalits Welfare Association, who took up the issue with the National Commission for Safai Karamchari, said the Supreme Court in its judgment dated March 27, 2014, stated that sewer men entering sewer lines without safety gears should be made a crime, even in emergency situations. For each such death, a compensation of Rs 10 lakh should be given to the family of the deceased. It has also directed to identify the families of all persons who have died in sewerage work (manholes, septic tanks) since 1993 and give a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for each such death to the family members depending on them.

Krishan Kumar Chadda, president, Safai Karamchari Union, said all families were poor and had no source of income. They should be given Rs 10 lakh compensation as directed by the Supreme Court.