NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment will seek inputs of the Ministry of Law and Justice on the potential amendments that can be brought to The Prohibition of Employment As Manual Scavengers and Their Rehabilitation Act, 2013.
Despite the law prohibiting ‘hazardous cleaning’ of sewer and septic tanks without protective gear, workers are employed to clean these tanks. Sanitation workers continue to lose their lives from suffocation while cleaning the tanks.
The Centre is planning to bring amendments to the existing Act in order to make it more stringent and make authorities of civic bodies responsible for sewer and septic tank deaths.
“The ministry will convene a meeting with the law ministry in order to get their perspectives on how the Act can be made more stringent. It will be worked out how the amendments can be concretised. The details have to be carefully worked out. Following the meeting, we will hold brainstorming sessions,” said a ministry official.