Safai karmacharis' union seeks details on sewer deaths

NEW DELHI: The National Commission of Safai Karamcharis (NCSK) has asked the Delhi Government to provide a detailed report on how sewer deaths were taking place in the city despite claims of mechanisation and steps being taken by the government to stop them.

Narain Dass, secretary of NCSK, wrote to Delhi chief secretary a letter on July 9, in which he said: “ …news reports of frequent deaths of sanitation workers in Delhi while manually cleaning sewers without protective gears. The NCSK has taken serious cognisance of these sewer death incidents and is pursuing each of the case separately with the respective police and district authories urging them to register FIR under the striggent provisions of “Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 ” and to pay compensational to family of the victim.

He wrote in the letter that the commission has gathered that the Delhi Government had procured 200 sewer-cleaning machines to ensure mechanised system of sewer cleaning. However, the regular occurrence of sewer death cases in Delhi seems to betray the suggestion of mechanisation. Around more than 15 sewer deaths have been reported during last one-and-half year in Delhi which has dismayed the Commission and the Commission is compelled to understand that mechanised system of sewer cleaning is still not being executed completely. Also, this is a clear indication that the provisions of “Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabiliation Act, 2013” are not being implemented seriously.

He further asked the chief secretary to provide a detailed report to the Commission as to how the sewer death cases are continuing in Delhi despite claims of mechanisation and steps being taken by the Delhi Government to stop these deaths.