A police complaint has been registered after a person descended into a manhole and cleaned raw sewage at J.C. Nagar allegedly at the behest of the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB).
The incident came to light when M.C. Srinivas, Vice-President of Madiga Dandora, spotted the group of three on March 2 engaged in the prohibited practice. An FIR was registered on Thursday.
“I was shocked to see one of the men descend into the manhole. They were being paid ₹500, and some had worked for 20 years like this,” said Mr. Srinivas. “I was told by them that the manhole was blocked, and someone in the BWSSB had engaged them to clean it,” he said.
Local BWSSB officials said they were unaware of the incident.
J.C. Nagar police registered a case under the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 on Thursday. No arrests have been made so far.
Incidentally, on the same day, 25-year-old Manu lost his life while cleaning a septic tank in Jaihind International School at Hongasandra on the outskirts of the city.
Published - March 07, 2019 10:23 pm IST
