The Madras High Court today directed Tamil Nadu government to file its reply in four weeks on a plea seeking direction to implement all provisions of the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act-2013.
NGO Change India also sought a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each to the family of those who lost lives in manual scavenging.
Justices M M Sundresh and R Mahadevan ordered issue of notices to government pleader STS Moorthy on behalf of the state Chief Secretary, Secretary, Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department, Chairman Chennai Metro Water Supply and Sewerage Board and National Commission for Safai Karamcharis, New Delhi, and posted the matter for further hearing to March 30.
The NGO submitted that the high court had already given a direction prohibiting deployment of sanitary workers to enter inside underground sewage manholes and septic tanks under the guise of removing blocks.
The directions were not implemented properly, the petitioner submitted.
Though the government had taken measures by supplying mechanical devices, the sanitary workers were not provided with safety devises.
Swachh Bharat could be meaningfully achieved only by protecting and adequately rehabilitating the sanitory workers by fully implementing laws enacted for protecting their right, dignity and welfare in letter and spirit, the petitioner submitted.
After the direction of the high court banning manuel scavenging, 48 workers were reported to have been killed in the process of cleaning, the petitioner submitted.
Though a memorandum was sent to the Chief Secretary seeking a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each to the families of deceased workers as per the directions of the Supreme Court, there was no response from them, the petitioner submitted.
