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April 25, 2024 2:49 PM

Delhi India Opinion TRENDING

How long will the sewage workers continue to die?

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How long will the sewage workers continue to die?

Published

5 years ago

on

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A sewage worker submerged in a gutter emnating poisionous fumes with no.life saving equipment risking his life for a meagre amount. pic classic 5.com
Views: 795
Read Time: 4 minutes

A shocking incident of three possible deaths of vulnerable sewage workers in Keshopur drain in Delhi has once again raised a vital question about the safety of these poor workers who risk their lives entering the most deadly drains for various cleaning and rescue operations.

There had been in total, according to conservative estimates, 666 sanitation workers death from 1993  to 2018 while cleaning sewers which seems to be too less a number according to the All India Safai Karmachari Commission working under the jurisdiction of Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Govt of India.
In terms of providing statistics about the deaths of sanitation workers at the pan India level, the concerned ministry is completely elusive in giving the definite detail which unambiguously shows as to how pathetic and unconcerned  are the concerned departments and government agencies towards these most inhuman deaths.
What is more worrisome and shocking about these sewer deaths is: they are never equipped with life saving jackets, clothes, oxygen cylinders and other relevant equipments including their possible insurance.
During the past few months and years, there had been several deaths of sewer workers working under private and government contractors in Delhi and Noida having been highlighted in the media tremendously.
The Delhi government as well as the ministry concerned have been talking and assuring so much of providing necessary safeguards to the victims but of no avail.
Regarding providing financial compensation too, the private contractors and the government agencies are extremely apathetic.
Most of the sewage cleaning workers belong to the Dalit families with extremely poor financial backgrounds earning two ends meal by cleaning sewers under highly bad and challenging conditions inhaling life taking poisonous fumes devoid of any life saving equipments and jackets getting a negligible amount in return for their hard work.
In the case of the Keshopur, Delhi incident in which one sewer worker Shahruk had died due to asphyxiation while entering in the deep sewer along with two others, now missing but must have died for sure, for welding a mesh inside the deep sewer, has again raised the vital question about the safety of such vulnerable workers in the future.
In the past few years as well, a large number of sanitation workers have died of asphyxiation due to the exposure to poisonous fumes and gases while cleaning sewers several feet down from the ground.
The compensation aspect in such tragedies from the government’s side is also extremely pathetic as the illiterate parents of the dead hardly had connections and knowledge to pursue their respective cases.
On March 24th 2014, the Supreme Court in its judgement of Safai Karmachari Andolan Vs the Union of India directed the government to identify the people who lost their lives while cleaning deadly sewers since 1993 onwards and pay each of the deceased Rs. 10 lakh as monetory compensation, setting a precedence.
But had it really worked is anybody’s guess. Sounds shocking and pathetic that the price of a sewege worker is mere Rs. Ten lakh and that too not sure whether the sewage deceased workers’ bereaved families really get the prescribed compensation as directed by the apex court.
Meanwhile efforts to trace the dead bodies of two sewage workers viz Devinder and Ankit are in full swing inside the Keshopur drain which is several metres long. Divers of NDrF are on the job with the chief minister Arvind Kejrival visiting the accident spot and holding meetings with the concerned officials. The police has arrested the private contractor Sanjay under the relevant sections of the law for not providing the sewer workers the life saving equipments etc mandatory in such cleaning jobs.
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Sunil Negi hails from Uttarakhand and is a veteran journalist and author. He is a prolific writer and has carved a name for himself in the media world. He received the 'Golden Achiever Award' in the '90th AIAC Excellence Awards 2019' for his book ''Havoc in Heaven'' based on the tragedy that struck Uttarakhand in which thousands of people lost their lives. He is also the President of Uttarakhand Journalists Forum and majorly writes on Politics, Current Affairs, and Social Issues.

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