Following the directions issued by the Andhra Pradesh High Court as part of its judgment on April 23, the Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MA&UD) Department has asked the Commissioners of all the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) to ensure the strict implementation of the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013.
The court had emphasised the need for timely payment of compensation and provision of full rehabilitation measures, including employment to the spouse, free education to children, and appropriate skill training to the kin of the deceased sewer workers.
Following the directions, the department had on June 6, 2025, directed the Commissioners of all the ULBs in the State to see to it that no person was engaged in manual scavenging and that all cleaning operations were fully mechanised. “Manual entry into sewers or septic tanks shall be strictly prohibited under all circumstances,” an official release said.
The release added that in exceptional cases, where manual intervention was unavoidable, prior approval must be obtained from the Commissioner concerned and all prescribed safety equipment must be provided in accordance with the PEMSR Act, 2013.
