Bhubaneswar, Dec 9: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued notices to the Chief Secretary, government of Delhi and the District Magistrates of Darbhanga in Bihar, Kozhikode in Kerala, Cuttack in Odisha and Tiruvallur in Tamil Nadu seeking Action Taken Report (ATR) in connection with the unabated deaths of labourers during sewage cleaning and manual scavenging.

The authorities have been asked to submit the ATR within six weeks of the receipt of the order. The commission issued the directions while acting on a petition filed by rights activist and advocate Radhakanta Tripathy.

"It is a matter of serious concern that the state authorities are unable to prevent deaths on account of sewage cleaning/ manual scavenging despite the directions issued by the Supreme Court and the Advisory issued by this Commission on the matter," observed the NHRC.

The Secretary of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India has also been directed by the NHRC to ensure needful measures for preventing the deaths related to sewage cleaning/ manual scavenging.

The complainant drew the attention of the commission towards deaths and injuries of workers due to sewage cleaning/ manual scavenging in Delhi, Bihar, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and other states in the recent past.

Quoting data shared by the Central government in August this year, the complainant highlighted that as many as 453 people have died while cleaning sewers and septic tanks since 2014, even as 732 of India's 766 districts declared themselves free from manual scavenging.

"Such deaths are not just a gross violation of human rights; they also violate the various Supreme Court orders on Prevention of Manual Scavenging. Besides, since each and every person involved in this work and henceforth dying in the pits belong to the Dalit community, these deaths are also a clearcut violation of the Prevention of Atrocities Act," alleged Tripathy.

He further accused those deaths of sanitation workers in sewers and septic tanks as an ongoing human rights crisis in India.

Tripathy stated that the absence of robust policies reflects a broader societal indifference towards issues affecting the marginalised communities in India.

He sought the intervention of the NHRC to ensure proper rehabilitation of the deceased families and recommended exemplary action plans to check such fatal incidents in the future.

--IANS

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