SHC seeks suggestions to ensure safety for sanitary workers

The Sindh High Court on Thursday directed the chief secretary and local government secretary to expedite the proceedings to identify the problems faced by sanitary workers while discharging their functions and suggest safety measures.

The direction came on a petition of a citizen seeking provision of safety kits to the sanitary workers in the province. The petitioner submitted that sanitary workers were compelled to work under lack of proper safety kits exposing them to several infectious diseases.

He submitted that many sanitary workers had lost their lives due to poisonous gas inside manholes a few years back. The petitioner submitted that the effluent in sewerage lines also contained needles, blades and broken glass pieces that could harm sanitary workers. The SHC was told that sanitary workers had no proper masks or safety kits for carrying out their duties and they were also not provided proper training to do their job in a safe manner.

The high court was requested to order provision of proper safety kits to the sanitary workers as well as necessary training. The Sindh advocate general placed a notification on March 27 issued by the additional local government chief secretary that reflected that a committee had been constituted to identify the problems faced by the sanitary workers while discharging their functions and suggest safety measures.

He submitted that the committee was to submit its report within 45 days. A division bench of the SHC comprising Chief Justice Ahmed Ali M Sheikh and Justice Yousuf Ali Sayeed observed that this matter required prompt attention from the concerned quarters as sanitary workers often worked under potentially hazardous and even life-threatening conditions.

The high court directed the chief secretary and local government secretary to expedite the proceedings and ensure that the committee on sanitary workers finalised its suggestions and recommendations within 20 days positively so as to submit the same before the court by April 18.

Defamatory content

The SHC directed the Federal Investigation Agency’s investigation officers on Wednesday to submit the relevant record and explain their investigation with regard to the scandalous and defamatory content placed on social media against TV actresses.

During a hearing of the petitions of television and film actresses Rabia Iqbal, also known as Kubra Khan, and Mehwish Hayat against scandalous and defamatory campaign against them and other TV actresses on social media, the federal law officer submitted that the alleged social media campaign had been blocked as much possible.

A division bench, headed by Justice Mohammad Karim Khan Agha, after taking the statement of the federal law officer on record, directed the FIA officers to submit the ongoing inquiries’ record and explain their investigation on the next date of the hearing.

The FIA had earlier told the court that it was conducting an inquiry and some objectionable material had been blocked on social media sites. An FIA sub-inspector had submitted that alleged social media accounts had been given to the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority for blockage.

Mehwish and Kubra had submitted in their petitions that a YouTuber who claimed himself a rights activist and former army officer had made false allegations against four actresses of the media industry, causing an affront to their modesty and dignity, by alleging that they were used by intelligence agencies and establishment to lure politicians into compromising positions at safe houses.