New Delhi:While the Centre plans stiff penal provisions for manual cleaning of sewers and septic tanks, Delhi Commission for Safai Karamcharis (DCSK) has sought a complete ban on the same in Delhi by May 25. The Commission’s report called “Banning of manual sewer in Delhi” will be put before the lieutenant governor Tejendra Khanna on Tuesday afternoon. Earlier the commission had sought to declare April 14 as the date for implementation of the proposed ban, but it had to be postponed due to municipal polls. “Delhi has over 5,000 sanitation workers. According to estimates, every year around 40 to 50 workers die due to over exposure to methane gas present in the sewers. Also about 70% safai karmacharis suffer from various infectious diseases caused due to lack of safety measures,” said Harman Singh, chairman, DCSK. Once the proposal is accepted, these 5,000 workers would be trained in operating the super sucker and jetting machines that will be used to clean sewer lines in future. In cases where only manual cleaning of the sewer is possible, the commission has proposed strict safety guidelines. “In certain circumstances if human entry is essential to clean the sewer, it should be with the approval of an officer of the level of at least a superintendent engineer,” the report proposes. Health Hazard • DCSK seeks a ban on manual sewer cleaning by May 25 • Says every year 40-50 workers die after over exposure to methane • Due to lack of safety measures, workers suffer from infections • Punjab, Haryana and Tamil Nadu banned manual cleaning after their respective high courts passed orders against it