Delhi government in trouble over sanitation worker’s death; Wilson to protest on September 25

New Delhi, Sep 20: The Problem of Delhi government is far from getting over with the death of a sanitation worker in Delhi while on the job and subsequent notice to the government from the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Commission seeking report on this. Now founder of Sanitation Worker Union and Raman Magsaysay Prize winner Bezwada Wilson deciding to organise a protest at Jantar Mantar on September 25 to give justice to workers involved in manual scavenging and sanitation work. Meanwhile the Commission will be hearing the matter of the Delhi government on September 24.

Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Commission Ram Shankar Katheria has issued a notice to the Delhi Jal Board chairman asking detail report on it including how much compensation has been the victim of the Dabri incidence in Delhi. The Commission has asked for all documents including FIR and medical reports to be produced before it. There is a provision of providing Rs 10 lakh compensation immediately after the person dies in sewage cleaning. The SC/ST commission has given the Delhi government 15 days time. The death of Anil is the seventh incidence in Delhi in one year and despite Commission's instructions such incidence is continuing.

Delhi chief secretary has been asked to submit a report consulting Chairman Delhi Pollution Control Board, Delhi Jal Board and rules and guidelines Of North Delhi Municipal Corporation. The matter will be taken up by the commission on September 24. The Delhi government has convened a meeting of state monitoring committee to look into people involved in manual scavenging and sewage clearance for identifying and rehabilitating them.

Bezwada Wilson, who has announce a protest of manual scavenging and sewage clearance, said that 11 people dies in the past one week. Who is responsible for their deaths? A law banning manual scavenging was brought in 1993 and a related law came in 2013 in which taking services of people for cleaning drainage, septic tanks was banned. But two laws and several court orders have failed to stop these practices. Even policies for rehabilitation and compensation of these workers did not succeed.

This is to recall that on last Saturday a 37-year-old sanitation worker died while cleaning a sewage. He fell in the sewage pit and had broken his backbone and he died due to asphyxia for presence of poisonous gas inside. The Delhi government had banned manual cleaning of sewage in August 2017. The Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993 and the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act 2013 or M.S. Act 2013 are already in place.