Accountability Overhaul Urged in Gujarat for Sanitation Worker Safety

The Gujarat High Court has urged the state government to hold officials accountable rather than solely blaming contractors for the deaths of sanitation workers during sewer cleaning. The court emphasized that this accountability would create deterrence, essential to eradicating manual scavenging.

The Gujarat High Court has taken a firm stance on the accountability of officials following the deaths of sanitation workers. The court has advised the state government to ensure that responsibility does not rest solely on contractors, as is the current practice, but also on the officials who oversee these operations.

Addressing a 2016 PIL concerning the deaths associated with manual scavenging, Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice DN Ray implicated municipal chief officers for their lack of awareness and action. The court criticized the routine contractor blacklisting, which has not resulted in a change in contractor behavior.

The court has pressed for rigorous enforcement of the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013, by equipping urban local bodies with machinery to eliminate the need for manual scavenging. Advocate General Kamal Trivedi confirmed the procurement of necessary equipment was underway, signaling a shift towards safer, mechanized cleaning methods.

(With inputs from agencies.)