The Aathi Thamizhar Viduthalai Iyakkam on Monday tried to block trains at the Coimbatore Railway Junction demanding that manual scavenging be banned. The organisation condemned the Clean India Campaign (Swachh Bharat) for failing to end manual scavenging.
The organisation’s State general secretary C. Venmani said that 7.94 lakh people were involved in manual scavenging across the country. A commendable number of them were employed in the railways. Urging the government to mechanise the removal of human wastes, the protesters asked the government to rehabilitate those involved in scavenging by provide other jobs.
He said that the organisation would move court in this regard. Mr. Venmani said that the Clean India Campaign spearheaded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi attracted corporates and celebrities but ignored the need to end manual scavenging.
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The agitation delayed the departure of the Alappuzha-Dhanbad Bokaro Express by about 10 minutes. The police said that 87 people, including Mr. Venmani, were arrested.