NEW DELHI: A war of words erupted between Delhi social welfare minister Rajendra Pal Gautam and members of National Commission for Safai Karamcharis (NCSK) on Tuesday over lack of basic facilities and welfare measures for sewer cleaners.
The NCSK held a review meeting with the Delhi government on Tuesday, following which it directed the government to effectively implement the provisions of the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013.
According to the commission, 64 people have died while cleaning sewers in Delhi since 1993, with 38 such deaths taking place in the last two years
Gautam, however, said that the city government had ensured effective implementation of the Act and the deaths had occurred in septic tanks of malls and highrises which are inaccessible to sewer-cleaning machines of the Delhi Jal Board.
The NCSK members said that families of 18 of the deceased sewer cleaners were yet to receive the Rs 10 lakh compensation. Of the 46 families, some had not received the full compensation, said NCSK chairman Manhar Valjibhai Zala.
Ganga Ram Ghosre, a NCSK member, said CM Arvind Kejriwal had promised health cards to ‘safai karamcharis’ in 2015, but civic authorities told the commission that no money for health cards had been allocated.
Gautam accused Ghosre of politicising the issue and said the Delhi government had not been given funds by the Centre for the corporations.