New Delhi, Jul 6 (PTI) Two members of the Delhi Commission for Safai Karamcharis have appealed to the Arvind Kejriwal government to hike the compensation paid to the kin of workers who die in accidents related to cleaning sewers in the city from the existing Rs 10 lakh to Rs 25 lakh.
In a statement, they also pointed out that families of several workers who died while cleaning sewers are yet to receive due compensation.
The members, Anita Ujjainwal and Ravi Shankar, also requested the government to treat cleaning sewers without proper safety gear as a crime.
They expressed “serious concern” over the incidents of deaths in sewage-related works in the national capital in the “absence of proper equipment and safety measures”.
“We appeal to the government to increase compensation for death to Rs 25 lakh as the earlier sum of Rs 10 lakh was fixed way back in 2014,” they said in the statement.
It is “most unfortunate” that out of 99 cases of sewer deaths in Delhi till May 19, 2022, no compensation has been paid in four cases, the two members of the commission claimed and urged Lt Governor V K Saxena to fix responsibility in the matter.
In seven deaths related to sewer cleaning, legal heirs of the victims have not been traced and in 15 cases of fatalities the dependents were paid less than Rs 10 lakh, they claimed.
Little appears to have changed for hundreds of workers who continue to risk their lives for petty amounts after being hired for sewer-related works when civic body staff are not available, the two members of the Delhi Commission for Safai Karamcharis said.
In March this year, when four deaths from Rohini and two from Kondli were reported, the National Human Rights Commission took suo motu cognisance and issued notices to top officials, including the chief secretary and police commissioner, but the situation remains the same, they said. PTI VIT NSD
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