Manual scavenging: Dalits demand minister's resignation

November 16, 2011

Mangalore, November 16: The Dakshina Kannada district unit of Karnataka Dalit Sangharsh Samiti on Wednesday staged a demonstration in front of the office of Deputy Commissioner to exert pressure on the government to strictly implement the ban on manual scavenging across the state and also to implement the recommendations of the I P D Salappa Committee report on improvement of living and working conditions of sweepers and scavengers.

The protest comes in the wake of the recent deaths of manual scavengers in Kolar Gold Fields and Kinnigoli. While KGF witnessed several deaths over the past one year due to illness contracted from manual scavenging, a 45-year old Dalit worker Kitta Koraga had died of suffocation after falling into a septic tank of a hotel in Kinnigoli near Mulky while cleaning it on November 6.

The protesters demanded the resignation of the Urban Development Minister Suresh Kumar for his failure to put an end to the manual scavenging, which claimed the lives of Dalit workers.

The agitators held the Minister responsible for the above deaths and for the plight of about 1,000 families that eke out a living by cleaning the dry latrines of KGF.

“If he failed to resign owning moral responsibility for the death of manual scavengers, the governor must intervene and take necessary measures to sack him”, they said.

The protesters also exhorted the government to provide better facilities to the 'paura-karmikas' and take stringent action against those who force helpless workers to do manual scavenging.

“We want justice for the death of Kitta Koraga, who lost his life because of the lack of safety measures on part of the hotel owner”, said one of the protesters.

“The state government and district administration must take into account the plight of Dalits who undertake cleaning work in different areas”, he said.

“In the year 1978 then Minister for Municipal Administration B Basavalingappa had strived hard to find a resolution to the problems of civic workers by imposing ban on manual scavenging. However, the practice of manual scavenging is still rampant in the state despite the ban”, said another protester. The recent examples for this inhuman practice are the incidents came to light in Kinnigoli and KGF, he added.

The protesters also demanded the government to treat the civic workers with respect and provide all basic facilities for them. The civic workers deserve free houses, healthcare service and free education and employment assurance for their children, they said.

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No cases yet, but vigilance high: Karnataka braces for Nipah threat

News Network

February 3,2026

Bengaluru: Following reports of fresh Nipah virus (NiV) cases in West Bengal and heightened vigilance across parts of Southeast Asia, the Karnataka Health Department has placed the state on high alert and activated emergency preparedness protocols.

Health officials said enhanced surveillance measures have been initiated after two healthcare workers in Barasat, West Bengal, tested positive for the virus earlier this month. While no cases have been reported in Karnataka so far, authorities said the state’s past exposure to Nipah outbreaks and high inter-state mobility warranted preventive action.

Officials have directed district health teams to intensify monitoring, particularly at hospitals and points of entry, and to ensure early detection and isolation of suspected cases.

High Mortality Virus with Multiple Transmission Routes

Nipah virus is a zoonotic disease that can spread from animals to humans and has a reported fatality rate ranging between 60 and 75 per cent. Fruit bats, also known as flying foxes, are the natural reservoirs of the virus and can transmit it by contaminating food sources with saliva or urine.

Known modes of transmission include:

•   Contaminated food: Consumption of fruits partially eaten by bats or raw date-palm sap
•   Animal contact: Exposure to infected pigs or other animals
•   Human-to-human transmission: Close contact with body fluids of infected persons, particularly in healthcare settings

Symptoms and Disease Progression

The incubation period typically ranges from 4 to 14 days, though delayed onset has also been reported. Early symptoms often resemble common viral infections, making prompt clinical suspicion critical.

•   Initial symptoms: Fever, headache, body aches, fatigue, sore throat
•   Progressive symptoms: Drowsiness, disorientation, altered mental state
•   Severe stage: Seizures, neck stiffness and acute encephalitis, which can rapidly progress to coma

Public Health Advisory

The Health Department has issued precautionary guidelines urging the public to adopt risk-avoidance practices to prevent any local spillover.

Do’s
•   Wash fruits thoroughly before consumption
•   Drink boiled and cooled water
•   Use protective equipment while handling livestock
•   Maintain strict hand hygiene

Don’ts
•   Avoid fruits found on the ground or showing bite marks
•   Do not consume beverages made from raw tree sap, including toddy
•   Avoid areas with dense bat populations
•   Do not handle sick or dead animals

Preparedness Measures

Officials confirmed that isolation wards are being readied in major government hospitals and that medical staff are being sensitised to identify early warning signs.

“There is no cause for panic, but there is a need for heightened vigilance,” a senior health official said, adding that there is currently no approved vaccine or specific antiviral treatment for Nipah, and care remains largely supportive.

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