TNPSC Thervupettagam

Madras High Court on Manual Scavenging

May 4 , 2024 204 days 543 0
  • The Madras High Court has issued a set of 19 guidelines to the government to effectively deal with the manual scavenging issue.
  • The court also asked the government to eradicate the practice by at least 2026.
  • The guidelines included steps to ensure mechanisation of clearing of sewer, septic tank and stormwater drains.
  • The court suggested registration of FIR against not only the contractors but also the head of the civic body (Commissioners of Corporations, Municipalities and Panchayat Unions) in the case of death of workers as part of deterrent measure.
  • Currently, FIRs were being registered only in cases of deaths and that too “by identifying a convenient scapegoat, typically a lowly employee of a contractor.”
  • It suggested the compensation paid for the family of workers who die in manual scavenging to be increased to `20 lakh from `10 lakh.
  • It is urging the authorities to ensure strict implementation and compliance of the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2023.
  • The compensation for the deaths due to manual scavenging had been increased from 10 lakh to 30 lakh through a Government Order issued on January 23, 2024.

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