Coimbatore: Despite the huge outcry against sanitary workers engaged in cleaning drainage manually and with the District collector issuing stern warning against employing workers to clean up clogged drains, the spate of recent incidents of sanitary workers returning to the hazardous duty has shocked the psyche of every law-abiding resident.
Coimbatore: Despite the huge the outcry against sanitary workers engaged in cleaning drainage manually and with the District collector issuing stern warning against employing workers to clean up clogged drains, the spate of recent incidents of sanitary workers returning to the hazardous duty has shocked the psyche of every law-abiding resident.
The sight at 100-feet road this morning was a tell-all of disregard for the law. A sanitary worker was seen trying to remove the clogged drainage manually. An advocate who happened to pass by stopped the worker from doing the work manually without employing machines and sensitised him on the law that prohibits from engaging in such works.
The conscientious advocate also called up the Sanitary Inspector (SI) and asked him not to proceed with the work further.
Speaking to Simplicity, Advocate Dennis said, “When I saw the sanitary worker trying to manually clean up the clogged drainage without any safety equipment, I had to stop him from working further.”
"I was shocked when the Sanitary Inspector insisted that sanitary workers had to clean up the sewers. Only when I reminded him of the Collector’s order prohibiting manual scavenging, the SI said they will not proceed further. But I really doubt if they will use machines to clear the drainage, hereon."
When the issue was brought to the notice of CCMC Deputy Commissioner Prasanna Ramaswamy, he said “Stern action would be taken against Sanitary Inspectors for not adhering to the law. If it was proved that a concerned Sanitary inspector had forced sanitary workers to do the job manually, he would be taken to task. CCMC will never encourage such practices."