Delhi sewer deaths: L-G Anil Baijal suspends two PWD engineers

Delhi lieutenant governor Anil Baijal on Wednesday suspended two engineers of the public works department (PWD) in connection with the death of a sanitation worker while cleaning a sewer at a city hospital on Sunday.

Delhi lieutenant governor Anil Baijal on Wednesday suspended two engineers of the public works department (PWD) in connection with the death of a sanitation worker while cleaning a sewer at a city hospital on Sunday.

Delhi Police officers investigate the sewer where Rishi Pal died at Lok Nayak Hospital on Sunday. (Sonu Mehta/HT Photo)

A 45-year-old sanitation worker Rishi Pal had died while cleaning a sewer at a park inside the hospital with his three co-workers on Sunday.

Two days ago, the L-G had ordered for a ‘strict regime’ to abolish manual scavenging in the city. Ten workers have died in over the last 40 days while cleaning the capital’s sewer lines.

“Two PWD engineers suspended in the incident of unfortunate death of sewer worker on Sunday. Zero tolerance for negligence in such cases,” L-G Anil Baijal tweeted.

The Delhi government had on Monday announced a blanket ban on manual cleaning of sewers and warned that anyone found violating the rule will be booked under culpable homicide. A committee has also been formed to find the best possible ways or machines to clean the sewers, within 15 days.

The directions came after L-G Anil Baijal called a high-level meeting over deaths during sewer cleaning, which was attended by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi PWD Minister Satyendar Jain social welfare minster Rajendra Gautam, along with officials of the departments concerned.

Meanwhile the Delhi police, continuing their investigations in the casem arrested the a PWD ‘beldar’ who had hired Rishi Pal and the other workers.

DCP Central MS Randhawa said police have arrested Prem Sagar,50, who works at the LNJP hospital as a PWD beldar. Police have arrested him under sections of causing death due to negligence, and sections of the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavenger and Rehabilitation Act 2013.

Police said Sagar had not ensured that the men wear proper security gear before entering the sewer. Police are also on the lookout for a private contractor who worked with Rishi Pal.

Pal, a father of three, who had gone inside the sewer at the LNJP hospital, died of suffocation within minutes of entering it.