Scavengers’ death: Activists seek action against culprits

He said it was the duty of the state government to ensure the effective implementation of the anti-scavenging law and the ruling of the Supreme Court. If not complied, this would amount to contempt of court. He also demanded the cancellation of licences of contractors responsible for the tragedy. The organisation has sought to secure sufficient allocation of resources for purchasing high-tech safety devices in the state budget and set up a mechanism for monitoring the law.

On March 27, the Supreme Court ruling said that manual scavenging without safety gear should be made a crime even in the emergency situations. Ironically, just after two days of the ruling being pronounced, three workers died in Unja while entering the drainage to clean without any safety gear on March 29. The organisation has blamed the owner and the project manager of Snehal Construction Company for the mishap.

The Act and the new SC order prescribe that in case of emergency, the chief officer must give written approval to enter the drainage and employer should ensure Rs 10 lakh life insurance for drainage worker before such cleaning.
The organisation has also asked the administration to ensure payment of Rs 10 lakh to the families of the deceased as ordained in the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013