New Delhi: Pressure is building up to treat manual scavenging on a par with crimes against dalits, to be tried under the atrocities law which lays down stringent punishment. The union social justice ministry has asked the home ministry for details of cases filed by states for manual scavenging under the Prevention of Atrocities Act (POA Act), even asking it to take up the matter with chief ministers.

BHUBANESWAR: Even as sewerage and drainage projects of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar planned under the Integrated Sanitation Improvement Programme, are scheduled to be completed in two years, the work is very sluggish. Chief Secretary Bijay Kumar Patnaik reviewed the progress of the externally- aided projects at a high-level meeting here recently. The meeting revealed that detailed engineering plan had been completed and there was no requirement of additional land for the projects. Project clearance from different Government agencies is being obtained.

New Delhi:While the Centre plans stiff penal provisions for manual cleaning of sewers and septic tanks, Delhi Commission for Safai Karamcharis (DCSK) has sought a complete ban on the same in Delhi by May 25.

The Commission’s report called “Banning of manual sewer in Delhi” will be put before the lieutenant governor Tejendra Khanna on Tuesday afternoon.
Earlier the commission had sought to declare April 14 as the date for implementation of the proposed ban, but it had to be postponed due to municipal polls.

No conviction under the old law in 19 years, says minister. Not a single person has been convicted under the anti-manual scavenging law that the country passed 19 years ago. This admission was made by none other than Mukul Wasnik, Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment, at a national workshop on “Total eradication of manual scavenging and rehabilitation of manual scavengers for their dignity” held here yesterday.

New Delhi: Municipal corporation or state officials could face two years in jail or Rs 2 lakh fine for the familiar sight of bare torsos plumbing the depths of sewer tanks to clean the muck with their hands. The Centre proposes to ban ‘hazardous manual cleaning of sewers and septic tanks’ with stiff penal provisions. It plans to make it mandatory for employers to provide cleaning devices and protective gear to the staff tasked with cleaning of sewers and septic tanks.

Bees , bird species in N-E affected due to radiation from mobile towers
Bees and certain other bird species of the Northeast might get a reprieve, now that the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests is setting up a study on the effects of radiation from mobile towers on avian life, official sources have said.

Union Minister for Environment and Forests, Jayanthi Natarajan, said that there were some reports indicating that radiation has a negative impact on bees as well as adverse effects on scavenger birds in certain parts of Northeast India and Odisha.

‘Experience the plight of manual scavengers’

The High Court of Karnataka on Monday gave a dressing down to the chairpersons of Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Sewerage Board and Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board on their failure to implement its orders to prevent manual scavenging in the State.

Madhya Pradesh forest department is planning to open the state’s first ‘vulture restaurant’ to conserve the winged scavengers while taking a cue from their counterparts in Pakistan and Nepal. The so-called restaurant will serve vulture delicacies: diclofenac-free cow and buffalo carcasses. Ranger J P Rawat said, “We are discussing our plan with local villagers.