3-young-men enter a filthy sewer surrounded by human waste, drain water and garbage. They have no gloves, no masks, nothing to protect them. They risk their lives to keep my city clean.

When I saw this appalling practice of manual scavenging being practiced in my city - I was enraged.

I spoke to the men, they said “What else can we do? We have no option”. But they do have an option. It is the legal duty of the municipality to provide them protective gear.

I took this video, the testimonies of the workers and approached the Chief Executive Officer of the Municipality.

Even as the officer watched the video, she continued to deny that there was any wrongdoing. Instead she got defensive and tried to shift the responsibility onto private contractors.

I need your support to help these men. Sign my petition and tell the Collector to take action that will protect these men’s lives.

These men who clean our filth, keep us healthy and safe from disease need our support. They have been led to believe they have no rights, that they have no options, that no one will fight for them.

Sign my petition and show the collector that we will not back down until strict steps are taken to -  

1. Take immediate punitive action against the CEO and Sanitation Officer of Dhrangadhra Municipality for not carrying out their duties and violating the provisions of the said Act.

2. Ensure that effective protective gear is provided to all sanitation workers in the Dhrangadhra Municipality, including to workers employed by contractors of the Municipality.

3. Carry out effective rehabilitation of individuals who are compelled to do this work because of poverty or caste prejudices.

4. Ensure effective and periodic monitoring of sanitation work so that the solution is long lasting and not superficial.

Sign and share my petition to make sure that strict action is taken against negligent officials who put our sanitation workers’ lives at risk.