Mr. Hariprasad V M will present his APS as per the detail below:  

Date: 19 February 2025, Wednesday

Time: 1200 - 1300 hrs.

Venue: CTARA Conference Room No.1

Topic: Informality, Marginality and Agency: A Study of Sanitation Workers in Alleppey Town, India

Guide: Prof. N C Narayanan

Co-Guide: Prof. Pankaj Sekhsaria RPC Members: Prof. Pennan Chinnasamy, Prof. Himanshu Burte

Abstract: 

A critical part of addressing marginality within the sanitation chain, especially in non-sewered small towns requires addressing the concerns of sanitation workers, who play a major role in maintaining sanitation systems yet remain invisible and unrecognized, working in unsafe environments. Sanitation labourers usually come from marginalized groups, often economically disadvantaged or from lower castes or religious minorities. Their work is majorly understood as precarious and hazardous, involving uncertainties. In the context of these larger concerns, my study examines the living and working conditions of sanitation workers in the coastal town of Alleppey, India. My study focuses on the context of comprehending sanitation labour in a non-sewered small-town characterized by ecological fragility. My research is rooted in the sociological and developmental understanding of sanitation labour, urban informality and illegality. It further explores the various forms of marginalities faced by the sanitation workers and the ways in which they assert their agency, mainly their labour rights and collective bargaining powers. The research addresses the following questions; How have sanitation practices evolved in Alleppey town between 1947 and 2021? How do different sanitation workers in Alleppey experience marginality? How do different type of sanitation workers in Alleppey assert their agency?

The research questions are addressed through a qualitative inquiry employing a case-study approach. The study incorporates three distinct case studies: Semi-formal Harita Karama Sena workers (Solid Waste management workers), Formal municipal sanitation workers, and informal FSM (Fecal Sludge Management) workers. The study findings reveal a noticeable interrelation among three different concepts – marginality, informality and legality that are utilized to address the research problem, particularly highlighting the interconnectedness between marginality and informality as significant challenges for all types of sanitation workers. Furthermore, the understanding of agency across the three different cases is dependent upon their placement along the formal-informal work spectrum, offering further clarity on how marginality escalates in the absence of agency and in the presence of informality. The notion of illegality is also integrated into the research to provide insights into the marginalized and exploitative nature of informal sanitation work and the contours of illegality in the absence of the state.