Three persons died of asphyxiation in C.V. Raman Nagar in Bengaluru on Monday night, after they got down a manhole to fix it. The deceased have been identified as Yerraiah (35), Anjaneya Reddy (34), and Dhavathi Naidu (40). All three were attached to Andhra-based Ramky Enterprises, an agency hired by the Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewage Board (BWSSB).
Bengaluru development minister K.J. George who visited the spot announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the families of the deceased and assured that action would be taken against the contractor. The contractor is reported to be absconding.
“We suspect the men arrived late on Monday night and entered the manhole without any protective gear. BWSSB has jetting machines and there was no need for the men to get down the manhole,” said Bengaluru Mayor Padmavati.
A case has been filed against BWSSB and the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) under IPC Section 304 (negligent act resulting in culpable homicide) at the Byappanahalli police station.
The men are believed to have entered the manhole as the BWSSB had sought repair of the overflowing manhole. BWSSB chief engineer Manjunath said, “Ramky was hired in 2011 to build the UGD. Last week, we noticed the manhole was congested and the sewage was overflowing into Kaggadasapura lake. We asked the contractor to fix it. But we don't know why they came at night and without any precaution.”
While, the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavenger and their Rehabilitation Act 2013, was expected to give more steam to the efforts in abolishing the inhuman practice, it continues to exist in Karnataka due to lack of political will. In 2013, the state government had estimated that there were 302 manual scavengers, but the government submitted an affidavit before the High Court stating there were none. The Safai Karmachari Vigilance Committee had noted that the number is in lakhs going by the number of dry latrines in Census 2011.
Last December, Social Welfare Minister H. Anjaneya, who chaired a meeting of the Manual Scavenging Awareness Committee claimed there were only 5,000 manual scavengers in the state and at least 60 manhole deaths in the last decade. The minister announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each to the family of the deceased and a government job to a family member in each case.
However, the question of abolishing manual scavenging has not been dealt with seriously as the state government has under-reported the total number of scavengers, alleges the community, which is now demanding a re-survey. Most importantly, the civic bodies are indirectly encouraging manual scavenging by not allocating budget for mechanised manhole cleaning in the cities and towns.
