Urban Sanitation and Caste: Voices and Experiences of Sanitation Workers in Bhubaneswar City, Odisha

Abstract

Based on a qualitative study, the paper captures the experiences and voices of sanitation workers on how caste and state policies of contractual labour intersect and influence their life chances and the exploitation they suffer at the hands of employers in Bhubaneswar city, Odisha. A total of 110 in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with sanitation workers employed by BMC and private contractors. The neo-liberal policies of the state have led to the privatisation of sanitation services, where SCs are forced to work on a contractual basis at a minimal wage of 125-150 INR per day for long  hours, and  lack  access to safety gears when entering into manholes. In Bhubaneswar, caste relations in terms of ritual status and hierarchy operate in subtle ways. The paper highlights that 80 per cent of sanitation workers suffer stigma, untouchability, discrimination, and injuries at the work sites. The study's findings suggest that a complex power relationship exists between the state and sanitation work, which tends to encourage manual scavenging despite the availability of machines/technology. The paper concludes that state governments and local bodies must pay heed to the issues and voices of sanitation workers to address caste-based discrimination; provide job tenure with decent wages; and access to  comprehensive health insurance . The paper contends that it is pertinent to delineate the caste-based hierarchy, occupation, and stigma that are naturalised and remain hidden in the narrative of the city development, where cities are made smart at the cost of marginalised bodies.