Court seeks details of staff working in hazardous condition

Concerned over the deaths of 10 manual scavengers in the last two months, the Delhi High Court on Monday directed the heads of the civic bodies to furnish details of employees under them working in hazardous environment such as cleaning of sewer pits.

The high court was of the view that despite its numerous directions to implement the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 nothing has been done so far.

“Out last order was in 2013, but nothing has happened,” the court said.

As per the 2013 Act, a person is punishable with up to two years in jail for engaging or employing any person for hazardous cleaning of a sewer or a septic tank.

The three municipal corporations of Delhi, Delhi Cantonment Board, Northern Railway and the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) have to give details of the number of employees under them who are exposed to hazardous environment working conditions on the next date of hearing in September.

The court also directed the Delhi government to furnish the report of the magisterial inquiry into the death of the workers indicating the responsibility of the concerned local authorities and individuals “whose failure of duty led to these tragedies”.

“We want the police to register a complaint and proceed against the concerned officers and contractors,” the court said.

Earlier, a report by the Delhi State Legal Service Authority pointed out that many manual scavengers are suffering with various kinds of ailments on account of the nature of the work being performed by them such as weakening of the eye-sight, skin diseases, respiratory problems including tuberculosis.

Use of alcohol and drugs is rampant among the outsourced workers, the report said.