Seeking freedom from manual scavenging
HOME TRUTH Though legally banned, the practice continues in some areas of Bundelkhand
LUCKNOW : Since decades, manual scavenging had been banned in the country but still continued in Jalaun and Jhansi districts of Bundelkhad in Uttar Pradesh, claimed Kuldeep Baudh of Bundelkhad Dalit Adhikar Manch who staged a march of manual scavengers in front of Vidhan Bhawan on the occasion of Human Rights day on Sunday, to protest the malpractice .
Bhaggo, 60, and Betibai, 63, have spent their lives in manual scavenging in Mangrol village of Jalaun.
They said that they had not been offered any alternative job by the government to earn their livelihood.
As they were poor, they could not change their profession without the help of the government.
They said their rights had been denied but they wanted their future generations to study and take up a different profession.
Kuldeep Baudh said, “It’s shameful that even after 70 years of independence the bad practice of manual scavenging is still continuing. Despite the Swacch Bharat Mission, this practice is continuing because of the failure of officials to rehabilitate these scavengers who are very poor.”
He said, “According to a study in the Bundelkhand area, there are still 500 families of Valmiki community who are into the work of manual scavenging. They live in a pathetic condition and are prone to diseases. That is why their life span is less than an average person. These manual scavengers are paid a mere Rs 50 a week from every house they serve. They are forced to do the work to feed their families. Sometimes they are given just some leftover food for their survival.”
Even in Jhansi localities like Thana, Biharipura, Prem Nagar, Isai Tola and School Pura, there are hundreds of families who are forced to scavenge for their livelihood.
Kuldeep said, “Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition Act, 1993) prohibits carrying night soil on head and seeks demolition of dry latrines. But today dry latrines exist despite all efforts of government because of laxity of officials in implementation of government schemes. I have sent the list of the houses to the district magistrate but no one has paid any heed towards the issue. Now I am here in the state capital to highlight the issue.”
“I have approached local authorities to give job to these night soil carriers so that they can be freed from the worst kind of work. But they have not yet done anything for them. These families have nowhere to go to as they are exploited by the mighty and rich,” said Kuldeep.
A memorandum addressed to the chief minister was give to the local authorities.