The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognisance of the death of a sanitation worker due to suspected asphyxiation at a sewage treatment plant (STP) in Gangwa village of Hisar district on July 15 and issued notices to the Haryana Chief Secretary and the Superintendent of Police, Hisar.
The Commission has sought a detailed status report within two weeks. It said the report should include the progress of the investigation, the condition of the injured worker and details of compensation, if any, paid to the family of the deceased and the injured worker.
“The report is expected to include the status of the investigation, the injured worker’s health, as well as compensation, if any, paid to the next of kin of the deceased and to the injured,” the NHRC said.
The deceased has been identified as Monu (22), while another worker, Sonu, is undergoing treatment at a private hospital. Both were employed by a contractor engaged for cleaning the STP in Gangwa village, the native village of Public Health Engineering Minister Ranbir Gangwa.
According to information, the two workers entered a sewage tank to clear a blocked pipeline that had disrupted the flow of water at the treatment plant. They were using iron rods to remove the blockage when the water flow resumed. Toxic gases released from the blocked pipeline allegedly rendered both workers unconscious inside the tank.
The Commission observed that the incident “raised serious issues of violation of human rights.”
The development comes even as another sanitation worker died in Hisar on Saturday during sewer cleaning work. Mehrab (18), a migrant worker, reportedly fell into a sewer manhole while carrying out repair and cleaning work near Jahajpul Chowk.
Police shifted him to hospital, where doctors declared him dead. HTM police said the cause of death would be established only after the post-mortem examination. The Additional Station House Officer said a family member of the deceased had stated that they did not want any police action in the case.
The latest incidents have once again brought the issue of hazardous sewer cleaning into focus. On October 20 last year, two sanitation workers died of asphyxiation while cleaning a water tank at a hotel in Hansi. The Haryana Human Rights Commission (HHRC) had then summoned the Investigating Officer and the DSP (Crime), Hansi, to appear before it with a status report.
Expressing concern over the Hansi incident, the HHRC had observed that, “despite clear directions issued by the Supreme Court in Safai Karamchari Andolan vs Union of India, incidents of manual entry into sewers without safety equipment continue to be reported, which is a matter of serious concern.”
The Commission had further noted that the Supreme Court had “mandatorily directed that compensation of Rs 10 lakh be paid to the families of the deceased in such cases.”