Tamil Nadu: Student counsels 5 men to give up manual scavenging

Chennai: At an age when social responsibility would be the last thing on the 'to-do' lists, a 22-year-old social work student has transformed the lives of five manual scavengers. K. Sathish, a resident of Kannagi Nagar and a social work student from the Madras Christian College has counselled 20 members from the manual scavenging community, of whom five have signed a 'self declaration' to give up the inhumane practice, before the Chennai corporation.

These five will now be eligible for the government's lumpsome dole of Rs 40,000 and a monthly pension of Rs 7,000 in return for their pledge. Forty-year-old Balan, who is among the five people to quit manual scavenging, never expected a decent job of becoming a supervisor to conservancy workers. With eyes filled with tears, he says in a firm tone, "I will never get into a manhole pit again. I will use the government fund and the monthly pension to support a respectable enterprise for taking care of my family."

In his five-year-span as a manual scavenger in Chennai, Balan could earn enough to take care of his family. But, he had also faced social stigma that made him an alcoholic. Narrating the ordeals he faced as a manual scavenger, Balan said, "People hesitate to give a glass of water, if I say that I belong to Kannagi Nagar. I used to hide my identity to earn some respect."

Apart from social boycott, multiple health issues also have degraded their way of living, said Sathish, who conducted a study on the occupational hazards faced by manual scavengers. He used the information from his thesis to reform the scavengers, by prompting them to take 'self declaration.' Forty-eight-year-old S. Kamalakannan, is now working as a conservancy worker in Chennai Corporation  earning around Rs 10,000 per month. "I could earn a good amount in manual scavenging. But, we were kept aside in the social events. What is the purpose of earning if we are treated as no humans?" questioned Kamalakannan.

He developed epilepsy and chronic eye and ear problems. "Through repeated counseling with the scavengers and their family members, I could rehabilitate five members. Fifteen more people have consented to give up the inhumane practise, after explaining the deadly consequences," Sathish explained.