NEW DELHI: Delhi government has made little progress in ending the scourge of manual scavenging and in moving on to mechanical cleaning of drains in the national capital. The state level committee formed in February 2018 under the Urban Development Department, to look into mechanisation programme, has not met even once, indicate the documents accessed by The Sunday Standard.
Moreover, the Urban Development Department, in a meeting convened recently, has admitted that the survey to identify the people involved in manual scavenging has so far been conducted in only four districts. The Delhi High Court had granted the Delhi administration three weeks to procure information on manual scavengers in the national capital. The order came while court was hearing a public interest litigation filed by human rights activist Ashok Aggarwal in 2017 for the rehabilitation of manual scavengers.
The court had asked the government to furnish details on the number workers performing scavenging task, safety mechanised instruments available in each district, the policy on hiring manual scavengers (directly or indirectly ) and the provisions for health and security insurance of such cleaners in 11 revenue districts, covering the national capital.
As Delhi’s multi-level drainage system is handled by different agencies and the local bodies, have been asked to submit a report to the Urban Development Department within two weeks.
“None are serious about manual scavengers. They have no worry of human lives lost, the government even does not adhere to court orders, then who should we approach” asks Aggarwal.