HC raps civic bodies for no proper survey of manual scavengers

Delhi High Court today ticked off the municipal authorities for not carrying out a survey of manual scavengers in the city, saying this has resulted in the rehabilitation package for them being rendered "meaningless".
A bench of justices Badar Durrez Ahmed and Sanjeev Sachdeva said there has been no improvement in the plight of the manual scavengers as the municipal authorities till date have not carried out the survey in the manner prescribed under the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act of 2013.
"Even after enactment of the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act of 2013, it appears that plight of persons engaged in manual scavenging in Delhi has not improved.

"This is so because the very survey required to be carried out under the Act for purpose of identification of manual scavengers has not been done in terms of the procedure, including content, methodology and timeline (of survey), as prescribed..,"it said.
The court said three municipal corporations, New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and Delhi Cantonment Board (DCB) "have not conducted the survey as contemplated under the Act".
"That is the first step in as much as rehabilitation of persons identified as manual scavengers will only follow, after final list of manual scavengers is published.

"Package of rehabilitation would be meaningless unless and until list of manual scavengers is prepared. That first step of preparing final list has not been undertaken,"it said.

The bench directed the three MCDs, NDMC and DCB to finish the survey within two months and prepare the final list of manual scavengers.
The court also directed the MCDs, NDMC, DCB and Railway authorities to furnish a report with regard to construction of adequate sanitary community latrines as stipulated under the Act, saying these had to be constructed within three years from commencement of the Act in December 2013.
The court's order came on a PIL filed in 2007 seeking rehabilitation of manual scavengers.
The court in its order also noted that the municipal bodies as well as other authorities like the Railways have not carried out survey of insanitary latrines as stipulated under the Act.

It directed them to "comply with the Act and carry out the survey within two months from today".