Nagpur: A day after two sanitation workers died while cleaning a sewage chamber in MIDC Butibori, Maharashtra State Commission for Safai Karmachari president Satish Dagor admitted to TOI that manual scavenging continues despite a complete legal ban. He blamed private contractors and outsourcing agencies for repeated violations of safety norms.In an exclusive interaction with TOI, Dagor, who holds minister of state (MoS) status, acknowledged that hazardous sewer entry continues across Maharashtra despite the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and Their Rehabilitation Act, 2013. “We will take strict action in this case,” Dagor told TOI when informed about the deaths.Dagor said that continuous talks are being held with govt agencies at different levels to ensure a complete halt to manual scavenging practices. “I have been pursuing with every district collector, chief executive officers of councils, nagar panchayats, and municipal commissioners to ensure complete stoppage of manual scavenging. Authorities should also ensure the safety of sanitation workers by providing proper gear,” he said.The Butibori tragedy has again exposed the gap between official claims of automated sewage cleaning and reality on the ground. Multiple reports in recent years have documented manual cleaning of sewers, septic tanks and drainage lines across urban and industrial areas despite the legal prohibition.Dagor admitted that contractors routinely exploit vulnerable workers by forcing them to enter toxic chambers for small amounts of money. “This is a lapse on part of a private contractor. For an amount as low as Rs2,000, workers are pushed into such dangerous jobs,” he said.The commission chief acknowledged that enforcement remains a major challenge despite the law being in force. “Manual scavenging is banned under the Act. Still, these incidents happen,” he said, adding that poor awareness and economic distress often force workers to undertake dangerous assignments.While claiming such deaths have reduced compared with previous years, Dagor admitted that cases still surface from different districts. He referred to incidents in Mumbai and Jalgaon where compensation and intervention were provided after fatalities involving sanitation workers.The Butibori tragedy has triggered serious questions over why hazardous sewer cleaning continues despite Supreme Court directives mandating mechanisation, protective equipment and criminal accountability in sewer deaths.
