Bhubaneswar: Manual scavenging is still a problem in Odisha, despite the fact that it has been outlawed for many years. Three people died in a recent incident in the state after they entered a newly constructed septic tank through a manhole to remove the inside shuttering.
The septic tank was being built under the supervision of head mason Sidhesu Reddy. T Sidhesu Reddy, a Bikrampur native, was the recipient of the tank.
To keep the concrete mix intact, the three guys had to remove the shuttering from the tank’s top lid, which they had cast around two weeks ago. Sadanand was the first to enter the tank, according to Berhampur Superintendent of Police (SP) Pinak Mishra.
Two of Sidhesu’s neighbors, Krishna Reddy and P Tareni Reddy, stepped inside when Sadanand did not come out. When none of the three guys came back, Sidhesu sought assistance from the fire department.
Mishra told the media that ‘the three may have died of suffocation.’ The police assured that they would take action if the investigation revealed the fatalities were caused by carelessness.
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Since 1993, the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation (Act and Rule) had made manual scavenging illegal in India. Despite this, there have been reports of manual scavenging in various regions of the nation.
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