Deaths inside manholes: NGOs call for stricter adherence to ban, scrutiny on contractors

New Delhi, Despite a nationwide ban on manual scavenging, workers continue to be hired for cleaning sewers, often at great risk to their lives, NGOs working for such workers' rehabilitation said.

In a tragic incident on Sunday, a 43-year-old worker died, and two others were injured, while cleaning a sewer in southeast Delhi's New Friends Colony.

The victim, Panth Lal Chandra, was working on a Delhi Jal Board sewer on Sunday around 5.45 pm when the accident occurred, police had earlier said in a statement.

Yogendra Jha, secretary of the NGO Centre for Social Security Action and Research , called for strict action against those hiring labourers for manual scavenging.

"Manual scavenging is banned in India, yet people continue to do this work without proper protective equipment, risking their lives just to support their families," Jha said.

He said that government departments often outsource sanitation work to contractors, who, in turn, employ daily wage workers for sewer cleaning.

"The government must establish a dedicated committee to monitor such incidents and take necessary action to prevent further loss of life," Jha added.

Sunil Kumar Aledia, Executive Director of the Centre for Holistic Development , stressed the need for better enforcement of the ban.

"There are machines available for cleaning sewers, yet workers are still being sent into manholes to cut costs. Constant monitoring is essential because manual scavenging continues in the open, despite the law," Aledia said.

According to the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and Their Rehabilitation Act, 2013, manual scavenging is banned and mandates rehabilitation for those engaged in the practice.

On Sunday, emergency response teams, including the fire brigade and local police, pulled out the three workers from a manhole in an unconscious state. Panth Lal Chandra was declared dead at the hospital.

Police have registered a case under Section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Sections 7 and 9 of the Manual Scavenging Act.

There was no immediate response from the Delhi Jal Board regarding the incident.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.