R K SINH, MP (Rajya Sabha)
“Swatch Bharat” campaign is at its peak. Why not, toilets are being constructed on war footing in the country. Government staff and officials have been put on duty to discourage open defecation; they are seen chasing away people in villages who go to field to relieve themselves.
On the other side, there appears to be no end to scavengers dying while cleaning sewerage and septic tanks. Such incidents are on the rise. Of late pictures have appeared in the media showing these workers coming out of manhole sullied in muck. In some cases, bodies of these cleaners are being taken out of drain and tanks.
It is a sad situation that even after 70 years of our Independence people are forced to work even at the risk of losing life to earn two square meals. The recurring incidents of such pathetic deaths indicate that people engaged in cleaning of drains and septic tanks are dying more and more in other cites of many States.
The news of death of two cleaners in a posh locality of Delhi a month ago was still fresh in the mind of the people when we leant that three cleaners died while doing their job in Gurugram. These hapless workers mostly work under contractors who don’t follow any rule. There is no provision of compensation in case of injury or death while doing the job. The contractors seldom follow labour law. In some cases the family members of the victims are not even informed.
Nobody to Cry
A poor man dies and there is nobody to cry over his death. After such deaths, the contractor or the agency that employs workers try to hush up the case in league with the administration and the local police. Recently, an official of Delhi Jal Board said after the death of a worker that the Board had not sanctioned any work where the incident took place nor the Board had entered any contract for cleaning operation. This is clear case of blatant lie and falsehood. The official should be let inside the pit and allowed to remain there for 24 hours to realize what it is like working in the sewer. Such officials should be charged with murder and put in the pit. Such corrupt and bribe taking officials deserve such treatment. Since it is a case of poor worker’s death, it is not difficult for officials to hush up the case and let the offender go scot free.
Sewers Swallowed Life
Let us look at some figures of casualties of workers while cleaning sewers and septic tanks. After the incident of deaths of some workers, the Safai Karmachari Andolan has in its report made on the basis of a study says that in the past five years 1470 workers died across the country while doing their job. It is highly disturbing. How and why this society is silent on death of so many poor workers? Where are those activists who have been crying for more than 16 years over the missing people in Gujrat after the riots? Where are the champions of human rights violation? Where are the people who file Public Interest Litigation petitions in the court?
According to available data, in the year 2017 itself 54 people are reported to have died in cleaning operations in the country. This figure must be very high. But the contractors in league with the Police don’t register the real number of deaths. These offenders often pay small amount to the victims’ family and the Police take big amount from contractors as bribe. In Delhi alone, 74 workers died while cleaning sewers and septic tanks in the past five years.
Can the government say that if anyone has been punished or jailed for abetting death of workers engaged in cleaning work? Has the government suspended or punished any official for dereliction of duty and negligence? You will get the answer in ‘no’. This is because of connivance of officials and police in the crime. There seems a total anarchy in the administration.
Take Action
The question arises why no steps are being taken to prevent deaths due to poisonous and toxic gas in the sewer and septic tanks.
One should be reminded this man, sanitation worker is the last in the human chain of which Mahatma Gandhi spoke about. It is this man, the lowest of the lowest about which Deen Dayal Upadhyaya talked of doing something for them. The word Antyodyaa and the welfare scheme are for them only. The government is observing the centenary year of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya by implementing special welfare scheme for the poor. But why the government and officials are not doing their job honestly to uplift the poor? Where is the brigade of candle march?
Privatisation has already hit the sanitation workers hard. According to figure available, there were more than eight thousand sanitation workers in Delhi Jal Board some 20 years back. Today their number has come down to 2200 only. This is when population of Delhi is increasing every year. More and more residential colonies are coming up. That means there are more sewer lines but the number of workers are on decline. Work is on the rise. Contractors are in the habit of catching hold of any starving poor man and make them work in cleaning sewer and septic tanks. Normally, only those with some experience of the job should be hired for cleaning operations. But this is not done.
It is high time that the government should be strict in ensuring that the contractors doing the sanitation work must hire trained an experienced workers. The workers should be allowed to enter sewer, tank or drain with proper implement and tools. There is urgent need to implement ‘safety code’ for sanitation work by the Ministry of Labour and Employment. Way back in 1996 the Bombay High Court had given a ruling in which it said that the workers engaged in sanitation job must be given gas mask and safety belt before they are made to enter the drain or sewer.
Take the European Way
You should always remember that sanitation work is done in Europe and other developed countries as well. There, the sanitation workers don’t die. The reason is the workers are provided proper training and are equipped with machines and tools. In our country, the sanitation workers are sent to work. Even when they die it does not affect the health of the government and the department concerned. In the event of any tragedy you can see some “tweets” and some message of condolence.
(The writer is a Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha)