The State government has taken action against an official and a gram panchayat member in connection with the case of two pourakarmikas allegedly being forced into a manhole to clean it at Tavarakatte village in Mysuru district.
While Chamundi Hill Gram Panchayat Development Officer (PDO) Anand has been suspended pending an inquiry, a case has been registered against the GP president, Geetha. Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj H.K. Patil informed the Legislative Assembly on Thursday that a case had been registered against them for allegedly violating the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013. Even though manual scavenging has been banned, Ms. Geetha allegedly made two civic workers — Ganesh and Cheluva — get into the manhole located near her house and clean it on Wednesday. The PDO told the GP president that pourakarmikas had been appointed for the purpose of cleaning manholes and it was their “responsibility” to do it, it is alleged.
Meanwhile, CEO of the Mysuru Zilla Panchayat Shivashankar told The Hindu that based on their inquiry and subsequent findings, he had recommended to the government that Ms. Geetha be divested of her post and her membership from the gram panchayat be abrogated.
“The law provides for abrogation of the membership in case a criminal case is registered against a member,” said Mr. Shivashankar. Though Mr. Anand was on leave on Wednesday, he has been placed under suspension pending an inquiry based on the allegation of Ganesh that the PDO instructed him over phone to enter the manhole as it was their “responsibility’’ to clear the clog. Ms. Geetha has claimed she did not ask him to enter the manhole but only check on it.
Safari Karmachari Hitaraskhana Samiti has called upon the State government to regularise the services of pourakarmikas appointed on contract and demanded that the contract system be scrapped. The samiti has threatened a Statewide protest from June 12 in this regard.
Mr. Ganesh, meanwhile, is undergoing treatment at K.R. Hospital. Medical Superintendent Chandrashekar told The Hindu that he is being treated for only gastritis and has no other health problems.
