NHRC issues notice to Bihar govt over reported deaths of sanitation workers

The Commission observed that the contents of a media report, if true, amount to a serious issue of violation of the right to life of the victims.

New Delhi:After taking suo moto cognizance of a media report about the death of two sanitation workers in Transport Nagar in Bihar's Patna district, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) issued notice to Bihar government on Thursday.

It has issued notices to the Chief Secretary, Government of Bihar, the Senior Superintendent of Police, Patna, and the Commissioner, Patna Municipal Corporation calling for a detailed report within six weeks. The Commission observed that the contents of a media report, if true, amount to a serious issue of violation of the right to life of the victims.

"It is expected to include the status of the FIR registered in the matter, departmental action taken against the responsible persons, and the relief and rehabilitation provided to the aggrieved families by the state authorities", the notice said. The Commission has been consistently advocating a complete ban on the activities of hazardous cleaning without adequate and proper protective/safety gear or equipment. It also issued an Advisory to the centre, states, and local authorities in this regard on September 24, 2021.

According to the media reports, two workers were choked to death after they entered to clean an underground drain in the Transport Nagar area in Patna, Bihar on April 11 this year. The employer company involved in cleaning drainage did not provide them with any safety gear, the reports said.

Earlier NHRC had issued notices to the State Governments of Gujarat and Haryana, through their Chief Secretaries and DGPs for reports about the deaths of seven sanitation workers in two different incidents.

Issuing the notices, the Commission has observed that the contents of the media reports indicate negligence of the concerned authorities resulting in the violation of the victim's right to life. Just because the incident has occurred on private property, this cannot allow the authorities concerned to get rid of their responsibility of supervising such hazardous activities being conducted under their jurisdiction. (ANI)