4 dead in mishap at sewage treatment plant

The workers were undertaking a clean-up operation at the plant in Virar West, and they likely died of suffocation, said the police. But the father of one of the victims alleged his son, an electrician, died of electrocution and not suffocation, and demanded a fair probe into the incident

Mumbai:

4 dead in mishap at sewage treatment plant

Four young men from Virar East who were employed by a private contractor died on Tuesday when they were working inside a 30-foot-deep sewage treatment plant. The workers were undertaking a clean-up operation at the plant in Virar West, and they likely died of suffocation, said the police. But the father of one of the victims alleged his son, an electrician, died of electrocution and not suffocation, and demanded a fair probe into the incident. Police have arrested Mahadev Kupte, a supervisor with Polycom, on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

According to the police, Ploycom was awarded the contract for maintenance of a sewage plant catering to 142 buildings under the Sandipani project in Global City, Virar West. The four deceased – Shubham Parkar, 28, Amol Ghatale, 27, Nikhil Ghatale, 24, Sagar Tendulkar, 29 – had been working for the firm for the past one year. At around 11.30am on Tuesday, they climbed down into the sewage treatment plant in Global City without safety gear, said police officials.

“The men must have died of suffocation due to chemicals in the sewage plant,” said Vijay Patil, senior police inspector of Arnala police station.

Police and fire brigade rushed to the spot after local residents informed them of the incident. They removed the workers from the sewage treatment plant and rushed them to the Virar municipal hospital, where they were declared brought dead. Later in the evening, Mahadev Kupte, a supervisor with Polycom, on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder. “We are investigating further if the contractor followed all the necessary protocols,” said Patil.

Sagar was told there was an electric problem at the site but no electrician was around. He left home immediately to help his friends but did not return.

“They are saying he suffocated to death. But the marks on his body clearly indicate that he was electrocuted,” said Sunil Tendulkar, who was informed about the incident at 1.30pm.

Family members of the other three deceased were in a state of shock and refused to talk.