CHENNAI: As Many AS 141 families of manual scavengers, who died while cleaning sewers, have been paid a compensation of `10 lakh each, the first Bench of the Madras High Court has been informed.
The Municipal Administration and Water Supply joint secretary G Laxmi Priya made the submission before the Bench of Acting Chief Justice Huluvadi G Ramesh and Justice R Mahadevan when the public interest litigation (PIL) from A Narayanan of ChangeIndia came up for further hearing last week. The Bench posted the matter to March 28 for further hearing.
In her report, Laxmi Priya added that 13 more families were traced and verification was going on for paying the compensation. She said the State was committed to make quick payment of compensation to the dependants of sewer/septic tank death victims in all eligible cases, as ordered by the Supreme Court and this court, as well as implementing the provisions of the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and Their Rehabilitation Act, 2013.
Of 94,389 insanitary latrines, 68,515 had been converted into sanitary latrines either by connecting with underground sewer system or by providing septic tanks and 15,294 insanitary latrines had been demolished. Action was being taken on the remaining 10,580 insanitary latrines for conversion by April this year.
The State had been implementing the scheme of eliminating open defecation since 2011 to declare the State free of the evil. Further, under Swachh Bharat Mission, 6,02,029 new individual household toilets had been proposed for the mission period. So far 1,73, 679 such toilets had been built for `144.80 crores. Further, 59,009 seats under community toilets had been proposed.
The target of 23,481 seats was planned to be completed by March. So far, 11,410 community toilets have been built for `94.08 crores, she added. During the awareness camp, the TN Adi Dravidar Housing and Development Corporation limited requested manual scavengers to apply for loans to improve their livelihood.