India: former manual scavengers demand apology from government

Women scavengers gather during the 'Samajik Parivartan Rally' in New Delhi on Monday. Photo: S. Subramanium, The Hindu

Hundreds of former manual scavengers rose as one at New Delhi’s Constitution Club to demand an apology from the government for the wrongs done to the community. “Apologise now for the violation of our dignity,” they said.

In late September 2010, the former scavengers had left Delhi in five buses heading out to cover 20 states on a Samajik Parivartan Yatra (National Rally for Social Transformation). Their aim was to promote the eradication of manual scavenging. The rally was organised by the Safai Karamchari Andolan (SKA), whose activities had helped to eradicate manual scavenging in the five states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Haryana over the past two years. “We are hoping to add Punjab and Rajasthan to the list soon”, said SKA convenor Bezwada Wilson.

India, Chennai: court to monitor steps taken to abolish manual cleaning of drains

The Madras high court has decided to personally monitor the steps taken by the Metrowater and Municipal Administration department to do away with the practice of manual cleaning of sewerage in the state.

The first bench comprising Chief Justice M Yusuf Eqbal and Justice TS Sivagnanam was passing orders on a contempt of court petition, which said the court-appointed special committee comprising senior officers and the petitioner was not taking the issue of manual cleaning of sewers seriously and that no concrete decisions had been taken by the committee.

India: plan to abolish scavenging [again]

The [Indian government] has appointed an expert committee to achieve the “impossible task” of abolishing manual scavenging in the country after failing to meet the deadline thrice.

The social justice ministry, which has vowed to banish the “worst violation of human rights” several times, would be in charge of the committee along with the labour ministry.

The committee, which has a representative each from the Union ministries of social justice and empowerment, urban development and railways and one from the Planning Commission, has been asked to frame legislation and submit its report by September 30, [2010].

The first deadline for eradicating manual scavenging was December 2007. It was then moved to March 2009 and again to March 2010. No deadline has been set after that.

“We have failed several times to meet the deadlines. But the ministry is only partially responsible for the failure. Primarily, sanitation is a state subject. Enforcement of the act lies with state governments. A lot depends on the urban development ministry too as it has to build the necessary infrastructure,” a social justice ministry official said.

The government has admitted that the problem exists in Meghalaya, Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and even Delhi. According to estimates, 1.17 lakh [117,000] manual scavengers are eligible for rehabilitation.

As far back as 1993, the government had introduced the Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, under which no person can be engaged in manual scavenging and construction of dry latrines is prohibited.

The government had then lined up several alternatives for manual scavengers, including selling fruits, setting up paan shops and watch repair shops (up to a cost of Rs 25,000 = US$ 530) or bicycle hire/repair shops and STD/PCO booths (up to a cost of Rs 50,000 = US$ 1060).

Other alternatives were automobile repair shops, PCO/photocopying booths, provision stores, beauty parlours and music stores (up to a cost of Rs 1 lakh = US$ 2,120).

There were also options to be barbers, tailors or autorickshaw drivers.

The scheme, however, failed to take off.

The National Human Rights Commission recently termed manual scavenging one of the worst violations of human rights and asked the government not to shift the deadline any further.

Source: Cithara Paul, The Telegraph, 16 Jul 2010

India: government announces that four more states have no dry latrines

According to Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Minister Kumari Selja, within the last one year, the states of Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Nagaland and Assam have announced that they have no dry latrines, implying that manual scavenging has effectively been abolished.

The government claims there are only four states left with dry latrines: Bihar, Uttarakhand, Jammu & Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh. This contradicts a May 2009 news report that the Supreme Court had sent notices to the governments of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan seeking an explanation for their failure to demolish dry latrines and prosecute the owners.

Under the revised guidelines of the government’s “Integrated Low Cost Sanitation” (ILCS) scheme, a total of 241,931 dry latrines are being converted into pour-flush latrines and 32,305 new pour-flush latrines are being constructed during 2008-2009 and 2009-10 (up to 31.08.2009).

The ILCS scheme was initiated in 1980-81 through the Ministry of Home Affairs and later through Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment. The scheme was transferred in 1989-90 to the Ministry of Urban Development & Poverty Alleviation and from 2003-2004 onwards to the Ministry of Urban Employment and Poverty Alleviation/Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation (UEPA/HUPA). The scheme has helped in constructing/converting over 2.8 million latrines to liberate over 60,000 scavengers so far. To improve the programme’s performance revised guidelines were introduced in January, 2008.

The main objective of the Scheme is to convert low cost sanitation units through sanitary two pit pour flush latrines with superstructures and appropriate variations to suit local conditions (area specific latrines), but 25% of the funds of the scheme are also made available for construction of new latrines where economically weaker section (EWS) households have no latrines.

Under the Scheme, the central subsidy is 75%, State Subsidy 15% and beneficiary share is 10%. The upper ceiling cost is Rs.10,000/- (US$ 214) for the complete unit. For the States falling in the category of difficult and hilly areas, 25% extra cost is provided.

The Scheme is scheduled to end in 2009-10.

Source: PIB, 10 Nov 2009

India – Court notice to Delhi government on anti-scavenging law

New Delhi, May 8 (IANS) The Supreme Court Friday asked the Delhi government to explain its failure to implement a central law against manual scavenging that provides for elimination of dry latrines and rehabilitation of scavengers.

A bench of Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan issued notice after the petitioner Safai Karmachari Andolan (Sanitary Workers’ Movement) was able to demonstrate that there were at least 15 dry latrines existing in Delhi’s northeast district with at least five people still engaged in manual scavenging.

The petitioner, in fact, through a government’s reply under transparency law on the number of dry latrines in Delhi, demonstrated that the state government itself has acknowledged existence of 1,085 manual scavengers in Delhi.

The petitioner earlier had told the court, on the basis of its own survey, that there were 14,479 manual scavengers to be rehabilitated in Delhi after their job loss following elimination of dry latrines.

The Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act was passed by the Union Government in 1993 with an aim to finish the demeaning profession of carrying night soil on head and rehabilitate the scavengers.

The law also provided for appointment of an executive authority for prosecution of the owners of the dry latrines.

As per the petitioner, though most of the states have already adopted the law and are striving to achieve its aim and objective, Delhi, apparently under the impression that it has no dry latrines or manual scavengers in its territory, have shown no hurry in adopting the law.

In fact, an affidavit filed by the Delhi government in March 2008 “categorically denied existence of any such latrine from where scavengers lift night soil manually and carry on their heads to the sites of disposal.”

The government, however, had admitted in its affidavit that there are latrines from where night soil flows into open drains and scavengers push the night soil with the help of brooms and also sludge in wheel-barrows up to the disposal point.”

Upset by the revelation that the Delhi government considered demeaning only the task of carrying night soil by scavengers on their heads and apparently treated pushing it with broom in the open drain as acceptable, the court issued notice to the Delhi government for its failure to implement the anti-scavenging law till now.

Earlier on April 30, the court had also sent to district magistrates the details of over 2,000 dry latrine owners in over 25 districts all over Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan seeking their explanation for their failure in demolishing the latrines and prosecuting the owners.

The Safai Karmachari Andolan has been waging a relentless legal battle since 2003 seeking implementation of the 1993 law against scavenging and elimination of the profession, undermining human dignity.

Read More – Thaindian News

India: Deprived, sweepers seek permission for mass suicide

Sweepers from the Valmiki and Dalit community of Gandhinagar [, Gujarat] have written to the President of India, Pratibha Patil, requesting her to permit them to commit mass suicide.

Deprived of proper wages, housing, sanitation and other basic amenities, about 35 sweepers have signed the petition for mass self-immolation.  (…) There are 164 manual scavengers in the city [who] earn Rs 30 per day and work for 8-10 hours instead of the promised four.

As many as 94 labourers have been involved in this campaign, but it has had little impact on the government.

The workers have been toiling hard for years to manage two meals a day and educate their children.

Read more: India Express, 2 Nov 2008

India, Tamil Nadu: Manual scavenging continues in State: SKA

Murugamma and Thirupalamma leave their homes early morning to clean human excreta. They are safai karamcharis, who are permanent employees of the Chennai Corporation and perform this daily chore at the dry latrines in Gandhi Nagar, Pallavan Salai, near General Hospital.

Inspite of earning Rs 6,000 per month, they are still looked down upon and treated as untouchables. For them, the international year of sanitation does not make much difference.

The Safai Karamchari Aandolan (SKA), in its survey of 19 districts, identified 171 manual scavengers in Tamil Nadu [excluding] unofficial manual scavengers. [...] Bezwada Wilson, national convener of SKA, said that not a single person had been prosecuted for violating the Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993 by the State.

Source: Nalini Ravichandran, Express Buzz, 23 Oct 2008

India, Tamil Nadu: Human entry into manholes barred

No human being should be allowed to get into sewerage and drainage lines to clear blocks, the Madras High Court said on Monday [13 Oct 2008].

Passing interim orders on a public interest litigation petition[...] said if any drain was choked, it was the responsibility of the authorities to get the block cleared, using mechanical devices. The court posted the matter for October 15.

In his petition, A.Narayanan of Virugambakkam, a managing director of a private firm and founder of PAADAM (People Against Alcohol, Drug Abuse and Merchandise), said employing manual scavengers for removing human excreta had been made illegal [with the introduction of] the Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act.

Source: The Hindu, 14 Oct 2008

India, Manipur: new Act ends manual scavenging

The Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993 which the state {Manipur State] Assembly resolved to adopt [...] aims at prohibition of employment of manual scavengers as well as construction or continuance of dry latrines and for the regulation of construction and maintenance of water-seal latrines.

The Act which has been enacted by the Parliament has been applied in [...] the states of Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tripura and West Bengal and in all the Union Territories.

The [Manipur] state Assembly passed the resolution to enforce the Act in the state too during the Assembly session which had commenced from October 1.

[...]

{A]nyone who fails to comply with {the Act] [...] can be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year or with fine, which may extend to Rs. 2000, or with both. Additional fines which may extend to Rs. 100 for every day during which such failures or contraventions continues.

See also: India – Conversion of dry latrines into water seal latrines, Sanitation Updates, 13 Jun 2008

Source: Imphal Free Press / Kangla Online, 09 Oct 2008

India: manual scavengers given cold carts to sell vegetables

In an attempt to give manual scavengers a better life, the Delhi government in collaboration with NGO We the People and technology major ACME, has given them carts that keep fruits and vegetables cold.

The campaign, “Sampoorna Samridhi” (complete prosperity), envisages improving the financial condition of scavengers, increasing their social acceptability and upgrading hawker practices through innovative technology.

At a function at Sarojini Nagar market in south Delhi to distribute the carts to thirty-one scavengers, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said: “The initiative predominantly is to make the identified manual scavengers self-reliant.”

[...]

The function was organised by We the People – an NGO and the Delhi SC/ST/OBC/Minorities and Handicapped Finance and Development Corporation (DSFDC).

{…]

“Where they were earning about a hundred a day from scavenging, they can earn about Rs.800 from vending”, said Ashok Kapoor of We the People.

The practice of which involves cleaning dry latrines and clearing carcasses with bare hands, is an offence under the Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry (non-flush) Latrines (Prohibition) Act 1993.

The government had committed to eradicate the practice of manual scavenging by Dec 31, 2007, but it has now been reset to March 2009.

Source: IANS / NewKerala.com, 03 Oct 2008