Chandigarh: TThe National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued a notice to the Chief Secretary of Haryana, Sanjeev Kaushal, and the Director General of Police (DGP), P K Agrawal, in connection with the tragic death of four labourers in Jhajjar district. The workers were fitting drainage pipes while constructing a septic tank in the Bahadurgarh area of Jhajjar when they died of suffocation from inhaling poisonous gas on April 4.
The NHRC, taking suo-motu cognisance of media reports, stated that the government officials committed a lapse by not providing safety gear to the workers who were fitting pipes into the septic tank. The commission has given six weeks to the Chief Secretary of the state and the DGP to file a report on the incident.
According to the media reports, the workers were not given safety equipment when they entered the septic tank for construction work. The commission said that the officials entrusted with the safety of workers cannot be absolved of their responsibility, especially in manual scavenging work.
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The NHRC also stated that the Haryana government's report on the action taken against the culprits and the relief given to the victim's families should be incorporated into the reply. The commission stressed that the government needs to take steps to ensure the safety of workers in such hazardous working conditions.
The NHRC expressed its concern over the incident and emphasized the urgent need to create awareness among workers about the safety measures to be taken while working in septic tanks. The commission highlighted the need for the government to ensure that the culprits are held accountable and that the families of the deceased receive compensation.
It is worth noting that manual scavenging, the practice of manually cleaning, carrying, disposing or handling in any manner, human excreta, is prohibited under the "Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013." The Act also provides for the rehabilitation of manual scavengers and their families and for the eradication of the practice of manual scavenging.
