The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Family of worker told to represent before Municipal Commissioner

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Sunday, Mar 06, 2011
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Family of worker told to represent before Municipal Commissioner

K.T. Sangameswaran

Sundaraj died while doing manual scavenging in Kancheepuram

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has directed the family of a person, who died while doing manual scavenging in Kancheepuram in October last year, to give a representation to the Kancheepuram Municipal Commissioner seeking compensation.

On receipt of the representation along with the court order copy, the official should take appropriate and prompt action, preferably within six weeks. The Commissioner should file a report regarding the nature of action taken in the matter.

Justice R. Sudhakar passed the order on a writ petition by S. Radha, wife of K. Sundaraj, their two minor children and his mother, seeking direction to the Tamil Nadu government and the municipality to pay them just and reasonable compensation. The petitioner said Sundaraj died while cleaning the block in drainage at the junction of Putheri Street and Ekambaranathar Temple, Sannathi Street. Following the tragedy, the family gave representations to the District Collector, marking a copy to the Chief Minister's cell, seeking compensation for the death as a result of negligence by authorities. The family lived in poverty. No representation had been given to the municipality claiming compensation.

Mr. Justice Sudhakar said if what was stated by the petitioners was correct, the family had to be compensated. Sundaraj apparently was illiterate, unaware of law that banned manual scavenging. But, that plea could not be taken by the Collector and the Municipal Commissioner who were officials administering the district and enjoined by law to desist from such practice.

“The case of the petitioners, widow, two minor children and aged mother is still worse. The fact that they have come to the court for justice is a sad state of affairs, that too in spite of the illiteracy. The respondents should treat the issue with all seriousness that it requires and decide the claim sympathetically and expeditiously.”

Municipality counsel and the Government Advocate said the petitioners could give a detailed representation along with a copy of the court order to the municipality, which would consider the claim on merits and deal with the matter. Petitioner's counsel had no objection to this course of action. Later, the court gave the direction.

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