Saidai S Duraisamy warns private property owners

CHENNAI: Commercial buildings, malls and restaurants in Chennai should refrain from engaging private sanitary workers to clean drains and sumps within their premises. In case of any untoward incident like death, the corporation will lock and seal the private property for violating government norms, Mayor Saidai S. Duraisamy warned here on Thursday.  

Kickstarting an awareness session among stakeholders on “The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act 2013” at Ripon Buildings, he said hoteliers in the past had committed a grave mistake by engaging workers as scavengers to clean their drains. In the past few years, 52 people have died while cleaning drains and sumps with toxic gas and this has to change.  

Just to save money and time, private firms engage workers as scavengers and they die while undertaking the cleaning job for a paltry sum. All private establishments, including hostels and mansions, should approach CMWSSB for its expertise to clean sewer and sumps, he said. He pointed out that Chennai corporation was keen on improving sanitation and had undertaken rehabilitation of manual scavengers.

Greater Chennai corporation commissioner D. Karthickeyan said despite the law and Supreme Court banning manual scavenging, there are exceptional cases of human deaths due to manual scavenging, including the recent deaths in north Chennai. Chennai corporation is committed to bring in a common platform comprising experts and agencies where stake holders can approach seeking solutions for their sanitary issues, he said.