The Karnataka State Commission for Safai Karamcharis has directed the Doddaballapura DC to file complaints under The Prohibition of Employment As Manual Scavengers and Their Rehabilitation Act against the contractor and the Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board.
Narayana, Chairman, Karnataka State Commission for Safai Karamcharis, visited Doddaballapura on Monday, a day after four people died of asphyxiation in a manhole on Khasbagh Road. Jagan and Goundar – labourers who worked for a Hyderabad-based contractor – had entered a 15-ft deep manhole to un-clog it. Two more people, Madhu and Muniraju, who were passing by, rushed to their help, only to slip into the manhole and die of asphyxiation.
Mr. Narayana said basic safety measures had not been taken. “They are supposed to keep the lid open for a while to let some oxygen in. They made the two labourers get in immediately after opening the lid. First of all, according to the Supreme Court guidelines, no human being should be made to get into a manhole, as there are machines to do that work. On top of that, these people have not been given any safety equipment, such as a mask,” he said.
“We have also asked them to file a complaint against the Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board. It will be treated as a non-bailable offence with six months imprisonment and Rs. 2 lakh fine, instead of the attempt to murder that they have been booked under the IPC. Compensation of Rs. 10 lakh each will also be provided to the victims, while an additional Rs. 7.5 lakh will be given to Muniraju, as he belonged to the Scheduled Caste,” he said.
Manual scavenging
A 2007 survey revealed that 15,375 people were engaged in manual scavenging in the State
Has claimed 52 lives in the last 10 years
18 such deaths in Bengaluru in the past three years
