SC calls for immediate end to manual scavenging in metro cities
Manual scavenging in major metropolitan cities must immediately stop, the Supreme Court directed on Wednesday, drawing the line for municipal commissioners and chief executive officers of six major cosmopolitan cities, including Delhi and Mumbai, to comply with this order upfront and report compliance in two weeks. Picking up the metropolitan cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, the bench said, “We order that manual sewage cleaning and manual scavenging shall be stopped forthwith in all top metropolitan cities.” The court further directed municipal commissioners or chief executive officers of each of the six cities to file an affidavit by February 13 indicating “how and when manual scavenging/sewer cleaning has been stopped” in these cities. As the data on manual scavenging is based on the figures provided by states and UTs, she said, “It appears they have carried out survey while some are yet to respond.” The top court’s October 20, 2023 ruling noted the inhuman conditions in which manual scavengers lived. It is a battle for reclamation of human personality.” It directed the Centre and state governments to pay ₹30 lakh as compensation to the next of kin of those who die while cleaning sewers and sought “complete eradication” of manual scavenging across the country.
92% of workers cleaning urban sewers, septic tanks are from SC, ST, OBC groups
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