The Madras High Court today ordered issue of notices to Tamil Nadu government and Chennai Corporation on a PIL seeking a ban on deploymen of men to enter into manholes and clean sewer and stormwater lines.
The First Bench Comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice R Mahadevan posted the matter for further hearing to January 19, 2015 on a PIL filed by Change India, an NGO, seeking to ban deployment of persons to enter manholes.
Change India submitted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Swach Bharat Abhiyan programme could achieve its desired results only by protecting and adequately rehabilitating unorganized sewer cleaners and municipal sanitary workers.
In August 2009, the court formed a 13-member special committee to monitor implementation of the court orders to suggest measures periodically.
In 2013, the Centre brought a new law - Prohibition of Employment of Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013, saying such works can be undertaken only through mechanical devices and gadgets, without compromising the health and dignity of workers.
In spite of all these measures, use of human to clean sewers is rampant, the PIL said, adding the committee was not meeting regularly and discussing the issue with all seriousness it deserves.
The PIL contended "unethical exploitation of unorganised workers was extremely painful to watch" and added "there is utter lack of coordination between Chennai Corporation and Chennai Water Supply and Sewerage Board and also between municipal corporations and their departments."
The PIL maintained that without evolving policies with long-term objective, urban local bodies adopted ad hoc reactions to manage exigencies, resulting in flooding of cities and towns in Tamil Nadu even after light showers.
Highlighting health and other woes of persons deployed in sewer cleaning works, the PIL wanted the court to prohibit the civic agencies from deploying human beings to enter manholes of stormwater and sewer lines in the guise of removing silt and sludge.
