E-Paper
3 die at Uttarakhand’s Rudrapur after inhaling poisonous gas at effluent treatment plant
The plant is located in Sector-7 of the industrial estate in Rudrapur where the waste water released by factories is treated . It is operated by Hyderabad-based Ramky infrastructure Pvt Ltd on the basis of a build-operate-transfer model.
Three people died and another fell ill after inhaling poisonous gas at a common effluent treatment plant (CETP) in the industrial estate of Rudrapur in US Nagar district of Uttarakhand on Monday evening.
The three deceased and the other person who is receiving treatment in hospital, were staff of the plant where they were working at the time of the incident, police said.
“Prima facie, the three died after inhaling ammonia and methane gas in the plant as claimed by the other staff,” Inspector Umesh Malik, station house officer of Pantnagar police station said.
The plant is located in Sector-7 of the industrial estate in Rudrapur where the waste water released by factories is treated before being released. It is operated by Hyderabad-based Ramky infrastructure Pvt Ltd on the basis of a build-operate-transfer model.
Malik said that the deceased were identified as Harpal, 40, helper and a resident of Bareilly, plant head and a resident of Hyderabad Ramanji Mainkala, 45, and marketing executive and resident of Azamgarh-- Avdesh, 35.
“On Monday at around 4.00 pm, Harpal had entered an underground tank to repair a motor when he fell deep inside it after inhaling poisonous gas. He then raised an alarm on which Mainkala and Avdesh too rushed to help him. However, they too inhaled the gas and fell unconscious,” Malik said.
The police officer further informed that, Vijendra, a driver in the plant, saw the two falling into the tank and rushed there to help them after raising an alarm.
“He tied a rope around his waist and got down into the tank to save the three. However, he too inhaled the gas and fell unconscious. Luckily, the other employees who had reached there by that time, pulled him up using the rope he was tied to, and rushed him to a nearby hospital where he is undergoing treatment,” said Malik adding the local police after reaching the spot with state disaster response force (SDRF) pulled out the remaining three but they had died by then.
As news of the accident spread, officials of the State industrial Development Corporation of Uttarakhand Limited (SIDCUL) of Rudrapur also reached the plant.
“I rushed to the spot and informed the local police as well as SDRF which then fished out the bodies from the tank and sent them for post-mortem examination,” said Kamal Kishore Kafaltiya, regional manager SIDCUL, Rudrapur.
