MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court recently ordered the central and state governments to sensitise conservancy workers and manual scavengers about the prohibition of certain works, legislative provisions and various schemes available for the workers’ rehabilitation and skill development.
A bench of justices R Mahadevan and J Sathya Narayana Prasad passed the order on a batch of petitions filed to implement the rules prescribed under the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013.
The judges observed that the menace of manual scavenging persists even now and effective action must be taken to uproot it from society completely. Though the government claims that various measures have been taken to eradicate the practice and to enforce the Act, it appears that the measures are yet to bear fruits. The practice is against human dignity and the right to life. It is also a pathetic situation wherein many people engaging in manual scavenging or clearing sewers are not even aware that it is an offence, the judges said.
They directed the authorities concerned to take stringent action against those engaging persons for manual scavenging and to provide safety equipment to sanitation workers. This apart, the bench asked the authorities to ensure the clearing of sewers, septic tanks, etc., is entirely mechanised and the provisions of the Act are strictly implemented. They also directed the government to rehabilitate manual scavengers and their families so that they would not be forced to return to the practice due to economic reasons.