Nagpur: A day after TOI report: “Shocker In Sewers: NMC Sanitation Worker ‘Forced’ To Dive In & Clean”, Mayor Neeta Thakre said that “many manholes within the city limits cannot be cleaned mechanically”. This potentially means that manual scavengers are deployed.While she assured that advanced machines including robotic and spider devices, would be deployed to minimise human intervention, her statement has intensified scrutiny over whether workers are being forced into hazardous conditions due to inadequate mechanisation.TOI had reported the shocking incident in which the worker was found descending into a sewer chamber without safety gear in Shivaji Nagar under prabhag 15 after failing to open a blocked sewer line using a rod. According to officials, the blockage — allegedly caused by stones and debris — couldn’t be cleared from the surface, prompting the worker to enter the manhole despite legal prohibitions. However, he too failed to clean the chokage. Later, a mechanised suction vehicle was pressed into service, and the chokage was cleaned, an official said.The civic body has maintained that disciplinary action will be taken against both the worker and supervisory staff, with explanations sought from all concerned.Nagpur Municipal Corporation’s Dharampeth zone on Wednesday issued show-cause notices to officiating conservancy jamadar Dhanpal Bhimte and sanitary worker Suresh Wankhede for violating the strict ban on manual entry into manholes in this connection. “Even if the worker acted on his own, accountability will be fixed. If he was under instructions, the responsibility extends upwards,” a senior official said.Officials claimed that safety kits, including gloves and protective equipment, are available with sanitation staff, and no additional procurement is required. However, the incident has raised serious questions about enforcement, training and on-ground supervision, as the worker was neither equipped with oxygen support nor a gas detection device — both mandatory under safety norms.On Tuesday, Congress corporator Abhijeet Jha flagged this blatant violation by NMC’s solid waste management department. He also submitted a memorandum to mayor Thakre drawing her attention to the incident.The incident has triggered outrage among civic activists and opposition members, who termed it a blatant violation of laws prohibiting manual scavenging. They argued that despite repeated claims of modernisation, the ground reality reflects continued dependence on unsafe and illegal practices.Experts have pointed out that outdated sewer designs, frequent blockages and lack of functional machinery are forcing frontline workers to take life-threatening risks. “Without systemic upgrades, such incidents are inevitable,” a civil engineer said.
