Human scavengers in plenty in Barrackpore

Barrackore, Nov 3 (UNI) Even this era of science and technology, the Bhatpara municipality of Barrackpore in North 24 Parganas still practises the age-old system of cleaning human excreta with the help of human scavengers.

Rashtriya Safai Karmachari Commission chairperson Santosh Singh today observed that despite a national consensus against it, the system still prevails in this area.

Mrs Singh, while on a visit to assess the situation in Bhatapara, said she was surprised to find that such 'inhuman practice' was being carried out in the jurisdiction of the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA), which spends crores of rupees on various developmental projects.

She later held discussions with the municipal and administrative authorities to bring an immediate change in the system.

About a hundred human scavengers are engaged in the work in different houses in Bhatpara.

The municipality has not taken any initiative to stop the the system following the plea of these harijans, described as 'Safaiwalas', as it would leave them witout a livelihood, sources said.

However, sources alleged that the system was maintained in the vested interest of some unscrupulous people involved in money lending who collect huge interest from these indebted scavengers regularly.

UNI XC PP SAM DB1245