Manual scavenging: FIR lodged against unidentified persons

Punjab Safai Karamchari Commission chairperson Geja Ram had recommended an FIR against the MC executive engineer and sub-divisional officer for allegedly forcing the sewermen to enter manholes to clean the sewer lines without safety kits in Jugiana area on July 16

Even as Punjab Safai Karamchari Commission chairperson Geja Ram Valmiki remains at loggerheads with municipal corporation officials over manual scavenging in the Jugiana area, the Sahnewal police have lodged an FIR against unidentified persons for forcing the sewermen to enter the manhole.

A few videos of the incident have been submitted by Geja Ram and the MC officials, and in one of the videos Geja Ram can also be seen asking the sewermen to enter the manhole. (Representative Image/HT File)

The FIR has been lodged one-and-a-half months after the complaint was submitted by the commission. Unidentified persons have been booked under Section 7 and 9 of The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act.

Geja Ram had recommended an FIR against the MC executive engineer and sub-divisional officer for allegedly forcing the sewermen to enter manholes to clean the sewer lines without safety kits in Jugiana area on July 16. Subsequently, MC officials including executive engineers, sub-divisional officers and junior engineers locked horns with Geja Ram, during the meeting of the commission convened to discuss the delay in lodging an FIR.

The MC officials alleged that the chairperson himself had forced the employees to enter the manhole, to implicate MC staffers. The MC employees union had said that they will go on strike if an FIR was lodged against the MC officials.

While the staff of MC’s operations and maintenance (O and M) cell is taking up the matter with the employees’ union, Geja Ram said that the FIR should name the accused officials.

Meanwhile, Geja Ram said, “I will take up the matter with the officials at state level and will also move the high court so that appropriate action is taken against the officials who put the lives of sewermen at stake by forcing them to enter the manhole without safety kits.”

Sahnewal station house officer (SHO) Balwinder Singh said an FIR has been lodged but no accused has been named in the case so far as it is not clear on whose directions manual scavenging was being done.

A few videos of the incident have been submitted by Geja Ram and the MC officials, and in one of the videos Geja Ram can also be seen asking the sewermen to enter the manhole. These videos also need to be investigated before taking any action.