Government preparing to make the law more stringent prohibiting manual scavenging

The central government is preparing to make the law prohibiting manual scavenging more stringent. The government plans to introduce the bill in the monsoon session starting on Monday.

Officials said that the prohibition of manual scavenger work and their rehabilitation (Amendment) Bill, 2020 proposes to make sewer cleaning completely machine-made and provide better safety and compensation in case of an accident at work site.

At present, it is punishable by a person to clean the sewer and septic tank and there is a provision of imprisonment up to five years or a fine of five lakh or both.

Officials said that the bill proposes that the law prohibiting manual scavenging be made more stringent by increasing the period of imprisonment and the amount of fine. The Bill is among the 23 Bills to be introduced in the monsoon session.

This amendment bill is being brought in view of the increasing number of deaths occurring during sewer cleaning and maintenance in the country. The bill comes under the National Action Plan of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

According to the ministry document, the goal of the scheme is to modernize the existing sewage system and bring non-sewer lines under its purview, to arrange for management of septic tanks for machine cleaning, equip the municipal bodies with equipment.