Gujarat HC pulls up municipal authorities over deaths of manual scavengers

In a strong rebuke to the state government, the Gujarat High Court on Thursday expressed serious concern over the continued deaths of sanitation workers during manual scavenging and sewage cleaning operations. The bench slammed the authorities for their inaction regarding these fatalities during the hearing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL).

The bench comprising Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice Pranav Trivedi, while hearing a case concerning deaths due to manual scavenging, has directed the commissioners of municipalities to submit a detailed response regarding the actions taken against those responsible — including contractors — by various local governing bodies such as municipal corporations, municipalities, district panchayats, and taluka panchayats. Additionally, the HC has sought a comprehensive reply from the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) on the entire issue.

The petitioner has told the court that in the last 1.5 months, three more deaths of sanitation workers have been recorded in Gujarat. In one case, a sanitation worker lost his life near Ahmedabad’s Judges Bungalow area under the jurisdiction of the AMC. 

Moreover, two sanitation workers died in areas under the Junagadh Municipal Corporation. 

The Gujarat High Court ordered the state advocate general to be present in the next hearing scheduled on May 5.