Scavenging abolished? Not yet
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| Santra bai picking up human faeces from Akhiyadev village of Ratlam district |
(This is a news story which I did it for Free Press published on January 19, 2011)
AMARJEET SINGH
More than 1600 people in the State are still cursed to carry faeces on their heads to make a living. This, despite the fact that the State Government claims to have abolished the practice long back and denies the existence of manual scavenging in the State. The Centre, too, passed a law against it in 1993.
However, the National Advisory Council (NAC) headed by Sonia Gandhi has taken up the issue.
Interestingly, social justice minister Gopal Bhargava says that the issue is related to the urban development ministry. An NAC member, on the condition of anonymity confirmed: “We have taken up the issue and are working on it”.
A sample survey conducted in 13 districts of the State, including Indore, Vidisha, Datia, Damoh, Guna, Ratlam, Dhar, Gwalior, Rajgarh, Khargone, Badwani, Burhanpur and Sagar by an NGO ‘Jan Sahas’ under its Garima Abhiyaan reveals that 1651 people are engaged in the inhuman practice of manual scavenging despite the Central Government banning the construction of dry latrines and employment of people as human scavengers through its Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines Prohibition Act, which came into force in the year 1993.
The Act provides for a penalty of Rs 2000 on persons employing people for the inhuman work of manual scavenging.
“The actual numbers are far more. This was just a sample survey. As per our estimates, around 10,000 people are working as manual scavengers across the State”, says Asif Sheikh, convener Garima Abhiyaan, of ‘Jan Sahas’ working for the cause of manual scavengers.
Sheikh further added, “It is not only related with the issue of poverty but has turned out to be a compulsion. Due to its hereditary nature, people of two communities – Valmikis, who come under SC category, and Helas, who are Muslims and come under OBC category as per the State laws -- are engaged in the malpractice”.
Jan Sahas filed a PIL in the Supreme Court in the year 2006 replying to which the State Government said on March 14, 2006, that there were no manual scavengers in the State. Now again, in the month of January 2011, the National Advisory Council which is headed by UPA president Sonia Gandhi, has sought report on the condition of manual scavengers in the State from Jan Sahas and the members of NAC admit that the inhuman practice is still prevalent in the State.
‘UAD must know’
“It could be present in the towns. It is not practiced in the rural areas. Thus, it should come under the UAD ministry and it should be well aware of the issue”.
-Gopal Bhargawa, social justice minister, Madhya Pradesh Government
‘It’s not in my knowledge’
“It is not in my knowledge that this sort of practice is prevalent in our State. We have taken measures to eradicate it and it’s not in my knowledge that Valmikis or any other community is still engaged in any such inhuman practice. I will talk to the officials and take adequate action if any such thing is found”.
-Kunwar Vijay Shah, SC welfare minister, Madhya Pradesh
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