96 i RIGHTS OF THE VULNERABLE Justice and Empowerment; the Secretary, Ministry of Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation, the Secretary-General of the Commission and other senior officials. After detailed discussions, it was agreed that: • Steps must be taken to end manual scavenging in the country by 2 October 2002; • Public notices should be issued by the municipalities prohibiting the construction of dry toilets and for their conversion to wet toilets within a given time-frame. No new licenses should be given for the construction of new buildings unless these guidelines are complied with; and • The scheme for the rehabilitation of manual scavengers should simultaneously be pursued with vigour. 8.53 On 14 August 2001, the eve of Independence Day, the Chairperson of the Commission addressed a letter to the Prime Minister stating that it was a matter of national shame that, despite over half-a-century having passed since we gained independence, the inhuman practice of manual scavenging continued in our country. He pointed out that the Commission was constrained to believe that the requisite sensitivity and commitment to the cause was lacking on the part of Government. He therefore urged the Prime Minister that, as a significant step towards the eradication of this practice, as well as an important symbolic gesture, he may consider the desirability of making an announcement on Independence Day to the effect that, by 2 October 2002, the country will have no dry latrines. The Chairperson also proposed to the Primer Minister that, if the Low Cost Sanitation (ICS) scheme were converted from a fifty percent loan scheme to a full subsidy scheme, and an additional amount of Rs.1,017 crores were made available for this purpose, then all the dry latrines in the country could be converted into pour-flush latrines. 8.54 In a further letter dated 14 August 2001, addressed to the Chief Ministers of all States, the Chairperson proposed that the Union and the State Governments should jointly work together to ensure, that by 2 October 2002, there were no dry latrines left in the country. 8.55 In response to the Chairperson's communications and appeals, the Commission is heartened to note that the Governments of Goa, Kerala, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura have stated that manual scavenging has been abolished in their States. The Government of Uttar Pradesh has stated that the 'The Employment of NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION