New Delhi, Sep 4 The Delhi High Court has sought the stand of the city government and the DJB on a public interest litigation seeking regularisation of all contractual sewer workers as permanent employees.
A bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia issued notice to the authorities on the petition by Dalit Adivasi Shakti Adhikar Manch and sought a response from them in six weeks.
The plea said the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) has thousands of contractual sewer workers, who come from the most marginalised and economically weaker sections of society and are engaged on a purely contractual basis without any security of tenure or statutory benefits such as provident fund, gratuity or bonus.
The public interest litigation (PIL) asserted that these workers perform "hazardous duties" that expose them to "grave risks to life, health and human dignity", and their working conditions are "worse than slave labour or bonded labour".
Highlighting that 300 sewer workers died on duty in Delhi in the last 10 years, the plea submitted that the system was exploitative and the contractual workers received payment below the minimum wages.
"This petition is being filed for the regularisation of 2,000 sewer workers employed by the Delhi Jal Board as contractual workers for 10-25 years continuously and have unblemished service to their credit," the PIL said.
It also prayed for directions to the authorities to pay compensation of not less than Rs 1 crore to the family of every deceased sewer or septic tank worker, and to extend compassionate government permanent employment to one eligible dependent of every deceased work.
The matter would be heard next on November 20.
