No end to carrying of night soil, Karnataka high court seeks explanation

The high court on Monday directed the chairpersons of the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) and Karnataka Water Supply and Sewerage Board (KWSSB) to be present in the court on July 11 in connection with a public interest litigation seeking the eradication of manual scavenging and carrying of night soil by human beings.

Former advocate-general Narasimha Murthy had filed a public interest litigation in the high court, requesting the government to eradicate scavenging and carrying of night soil.

It may be recalled that the division bench headed by chief justice JS Khehar had on February 21 directed the state government to come out with an action plan with details of the programmes and deadlines to eradicate scavenging within four weeks.

Vishwanath V Angadi, the member-secretary of the Legal Services Authority, on Monday filed a report on the recommendations before the bench.

The report said there should be directions to the state government to take stringent action against the concerned for contravention of the provisions of Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act 1993. The BWSSB and urban local bodies should ensure that uniforms and the other protective equipments should be provided to the sanitary workers.

The state government is required to appoint sewerage workers on permanent basis and on attractive terms of employment, the report said.

The practice of BWSSB, urban local bodies and civic bodies in entrusting the work of maintenance of sewerage system in various parts by means of outsourcing who in turn employ temporary or contract workers should be stopped. There should be proper steps for regular health check ups of sewerage workers engaged in maintenance periodically in six months.

Further, it was submitted that in Bangalore Urban district, Belgaum, Raichur, Gulbarga, Bellary, Bijapur and the Dakshina Kannada districts where the population is over 20 lakhs as per the 2011 census, the state government should be directed to take proper steps to see that there is 100% underground drainage system.

In the 56 municipal corporations, 66 town municipal councils and 13 city municipal councils where there is no underground drainage facilities, the state should be directed to take steps to see that there is underground drainage facilities.