Ninety manual scavengers have died in Karnataka since 2020. Despite the staggering number of deaths, it is a matter of concern that hardly anyone has been prosecuted for employing and engaging manual scavengers.
In January this year, the Karnataka High Court took a strong stand against the practice of manual scavenging in the state. One would call this a landmark move, but this wasn’t the first time the Karnataka High Court and the Supreme Court have come down on the government over the practice of manual scavenging which is legally banned. Manual scavenging has been a prohibited practice since 1993. Pourakarmikas being forced to clean manholes, students being forced to clean septic tanks, and workers being forced to clean sewage treatment plants show how despite efforts to eradicate it the practice still exists and continues to haunt us. More recently, in December 2023, students were seen being compelled to engage in manual scavenging, cleaning toilets and excrement pits in Kolar district.
The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act was enacted in 2013 for prohibition and eradication of manual scavenging. It also laid down a broader definition of manual scavenging and envisioned the rehabilitation of those engaged in the practice. The Act also mandates legal action in case of violations. Though the Act was amended to provide for a survey of manual scavengers in the rural and urban areas, not much has been done in practice. Specifically, discrepancies and differences in data surveys have exacerbated the issue of identification and rehabilitation of manual scavengers in Karnataka.
A 2023 survey conducted by the state-level survey committee indicates that there are 7,493 manual scavengers in Karnataka. According to the Karnataka Safai Karmachari Commission, 90 scavengers have died since 2020 while manually cleaning open drains, septic tanks, and manholes. Despite the staggering number of deaths, it is a matter of concern that hardly anyone has been prosecuted for employing and engaging manual scavengers, in violation of the Act. It is this anguish that the Karnataka High Court expressed, while strongly criticising the government for inaction on the deaths.
This story was originally published in thenewsminute.com. Read the full story here.