Date:30/12/2003 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2003/12/30/stories/2003123001521200.htm

National

End manual scavenging, governments told

By Our Legal Correspondent

New Delhi Dec. 29. The Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission, Justice A.S. Anand, has asked the State and Central Governments to end the degrading practice of manual scavenging and take immediate steps to eliminate it.

Recently reviewing the situation at a high-level meeting involving 12 States, Central authorities and some non-governmental organisations, Mr. Justice Anand deplored that this ``inhuman practice'' was still continuing even after 56 years after the Independence and 10 years after the Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993 came into force.

Describing it as a ``complete denial of human rights'', he pointed out that though some States had informed the Commission that this problem had been eliminated in towns, the status with respect to villages was not revealed.

Referring to the scanty baseline data, he asked the States to undertake proper surveys to identify dry latrines which needed to be converted with the help of NGOs and safai karamcharis.

He urged the States to set six-monthly targets for conversion of dry latrines and construction of new latrines and stressed the need for implementation of relevant Statutes and rules.

Favouring a greater role for the NGOs in the rehabilitation process, he suggested that appropriate vocational training could be given to scavengers so as to remove the stigma attached to them.

The Commission ascertained the progress from various States on the following action points which include adoption of the Central legislation, survey to identify the number of scavengers and their dependents, imparting training to them and their rehabilitation, appropriate provision in the by-laws for construction of water flush latrine and setting a target by which a State would be free of dry latrines.

The Commission had taken up the matter with the Prime Minister in 2001 and 2002.

In response, the matter was included as part of the Prime Minister's 15-point initiative. In keeping with the Prime Minister's announcement, the Planning Commission formulated a National Action Plan for total Eradication of Manual Scavenging by 2007.