Despite SC order, manual scavenging victims unpaid

Alappuzha: Kerala has defied a 2014 Supreme Court order of Rs 10 lakh payout for manual scavenging victims.

The state identified 12 families in Kottayam, Kozhikode and Thrissur districts but ignored their repeated pleas.

According to the Union social justice ministry, Kerala tops the "least-compensated states" while Punjab, Gujarat and Telangana paid all victims.

Tamil Nadu, which reported most deaths (206) as per its survey, paid 98 per cent of families.

The court had asked the states to implement Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and Rehabilitation Act 2013

and take stringent action against violators.

Biju Prabhakar, state social justice secretary, said some were partially compensated from the Chief Minister's Disaster Response Fund.

"It's district collectors who have to pay," he said.

A survey by the Suchitwa Mission last year under the direction of National Safai Karamcharis Finance and Development Corporation (NSKFDC) had found 600 manual scavengers in the southern districts.

Kollam had the highest number of manual scavengers (274), followed by Ernakulam (155), Alappuzha (96) and Palakkad (75).

Prasanna of Safai Karmacharis Andolan said that deaths were reported in Kottayam, Kozhikode and Thrissur and FIRs registered.

"We had submitted a memorandum to Governor P Sathasivam for implementation of SC order passed when he was the Chief Justice," he said.

"We had also met collectors with relevant papers seeking compensation. But we got no response."

Narain Dass, secretary, National Commission for Safai Karamcharis, said they were striving hard to pressure states to get it implemented. "The district administrations are obliged to pay the families," he said. "We have carried out surveys with the help of social justice ministry and urban development corporations in these states."