‘Manual scavenging exists despite enactment of Act’

Philomin Raj of Madurai Legal Awareness Coordination Committee was speaking at the State- level consultation meeting on implementation of the Act on Saturday.

The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013, was enacted not only to abolish the practice of employing anyone as a manual scavenger, but also for the rehabilitation of such workers. But there was no proper implementation of the provisions of the Act, said advocate Sahaya Philomin Raj. Mr. Philomin Raj of Madurai Legal Awareness Coordination Committee was speaking at the State- level consultation meeting on implementation of the Act here on Saturday. He said awareness must be created among workers on the Act’s provisions since the governments had failed to do so. Even police and corporation officials need sensitisation on the issue. Whenever there was a complaint from workers on ill-treatment meted out to them, the officials ridiculed them.