
Inability to ‘say no’ claimed life of sewer worker who died in Dabri
Anil, the sanitation worker who died while cleaning a west Delhi sewer last week, would drink alcohol only once a month. It would be on the only day he had a “fixed job”. But he drank not to celebrate but to suppress his body pain at the end of a tiring day.
The “fixed job” involved cleaning a 250-metre long sewer line in his neighbourhood and Anil would single-handedly clean the sewer. The work would take hours but it would fetch him Rs 1,500. The daily jobs would fetch him only between Rs 150 and Rs 600.
“Unlike most sanitation workers who intoxicate themselves to bear the sewer stench, Anil didn’t need alcohol or marijuana. He would only carry a beedi bundle and gutkha sachets. But the days he cleaned an entire sewer line, he would shyly tell me he would drink later in the evening,” said Virender, another sewer worker. He said Anil was like a “younger brother” to him.

Anil’s inability to bear body pain had made him quit his previous job of rickshaw-pulling. “Five years ago, he came to me and said he didn’t care about his dignity and was willing to touch human waste if it could save him from pedalling a rickshaw. Physically, this was easier,” Virender said.
Soon, Anil went on to become one of the 50-odd sanitation workers in Dabri — responding to calls by residents and commercial establishments for unclogging pipes to cleaning sewers. He would even help lay drains.
Occasionally, municipalities would offer them work — something they would look forward to eagerly.
“We are more skilled in unclogging sewers. So, when people working for municipal corporations fail to clear a sewer, they call us. We prefer that because they shell out Rs 500, no matter how easy the work is,” said Sonu, another sanitation worker. Sonu took to sanitation work two years ago after his father died of a fall while painting a building. “I, too, was a painter but I realised the risks and took up sanitation work. But I refuse a work if I find it risky,” he said.
Virender and Sonu were among the very few who attended Anil’s cremation on Friday afternoon. “Anil was a good friend who spoke little and never turned down a request,” Sonu said.
Anil’s inability to say a ‘no’ cost him his life, they said. “That sewer was 20-foot deep. We generally refuse to enter such sewers. Such tasks require the use of machines as are unsafe. But Anil may not have been able to say no to the request,” Sonu said.
Yet, the right safety apparatus — instead of the ‘weak’ rope that was tied around Anil’s waist on the fateful day — could have prevented his death. In terms of tools, Anil only had a long bamboo he would vigorously poke into a sewer to unclog it. But as a group, the sanitation workers had access to belts for safety and tools needed for cleaning.
“I had purchased the equipment with my own money years ago right after I quit a catering job to take up sanitation work. Other workers borrow it from me for a percentage of their earnings,” said Virender, who also leads the group of workers. “I began as a sewer cleaner but tended to vomit because of the stench. So, I now assign work to others,” said Virender.
Virender would be aware of every assignment undertaken by Anil — but not on Friday. Anil had left for the work directly from a school he had got his son admitted to. He hadn’t informed Virender or taken the safety tools. Virender got to know of his death only when he saw Anil’s wife wailing in the street.
At their workplace, workers say they hardly ever receive any help or safety gear such as masks, belts or an oxygen cylinder in case of an emergency. “We request our hirers for exhaust fans but hardly ever anyone arranges it. Sometimes, they refuse to let us wash ourselves after work and we have to walk back home all dirty,” said Sonu.
“People feel that we overcharge, but I challenge them to find someone else to do the dirty job,” said Radhe Shyam, another sanitation worker.

In Delhi, Women personnel take over
- On the occasion, the Delhi Police also honoured 22 women personnel for their remarkable efforts beyond the call of duty during the Covid-19 pandemic period

Body of newborn found buried in sand at Raisina Road, probe launched
- A police team immediately rushed to the spot and found that the body had been buried in a mound of sand that had been unloaded there for construction work at the media centre.

JEE main result: two top scorers from capital
- The two who managed perfect scores were Pravar Kataria, 17, a resident of Vikaspuri and Ranjim Prabal Das, 18, a resident of Janakpuri.

Delhiwale: The Jungle Book—in Gurugram
- Take a look at these series of paintings near the Rose Garden in Sector 15

Delhi’s per capita income goes down to ₹3.54 lakh
- This is the first time since 2010-11 that the per capita income in the country’s capital has shrunk.

Avg. daily ridership of Delhi Metro at 10 lakh, down from 57 lakh pre-lockdown

Batla House encounter: A timeline of the 2008 case
- The series of events leading to the Ariz Khan’s conviction in the Batla House encounter case

Delhi government says 87.8 lakh Covid-19 tests done till Dec 31, 2020

Delhi records 239 fresh Covid-19 cases, number of active cases also drop
- Delhi reported 312 and 321 new Covid-19 cases on Friday and Saturday respectively. Authorities in the national capital were advised by the health ministry to keep a check on the number of rising cases after the daily infections reported on March 5 and March 6 went above 300.

Delhi's economy projected to contract by 5.68% in FY21 due to Covid-19: Report

Delhi moves SC against Haryana for clean water supply: AAP's Raghav Chadha

Survey shows average levels of pollutants in Delhi in 2020 lowest in seven years

Delhi's GSDP contracts by 3.9 pc to ₹7.9 lakh crore in FY 21: Economic Survey

All-women team takes charge of traffic control operations at Delhi's IGI airport
- AAI tweeted video with along with a post that read, “AAI derives its strength from its women workforce. Maintaining individuality, these invincible women go beyond & above their call of duty to serve the nation.
