Coimbatore, Dec 26
The local bodies, including Municipalities and Panchayats, should ensure the safety of sanitary workers by engaging machinery to clear industrial wastes from septic tanks so that there could be no more accidents and loss of lives. For this, every effort should be taken to abolish manual scavenging which is banned by law, said Jagdish Hiremani, Member of National Commission for Safai Karmacharis.
Addressing the media here, he said all sanitary workers who work under Municipal corporations till the Panchayat level should be brought under the Prime Minister’s Insurance Scheme.
The provision of safety gears and equipment for sanitary workers should be ensured by the concerned local authorities and the workforce should be engaged in work only during daytime.
Under the provision of Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act 2013 one-time compensation should be given to 95 sanitary workers in Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation and Pollachi Municipality.
“The housing needs and education needs of the wards of sanitary workers should be addressed by the officials by proper coordination, “Jagdish Hiremani. said.
District collector TN Hariharan, and CCMC Commissioner K. Vijayakarthikeyan were also present on the occasion.