6 public health department engineers held for death of 3 sanitation workers in Ghaziabad; victims' families to get ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh

Ghaziabad: Six engineers of Jal Nigam have been found guilty for the death of three sanitation workers who suffocated attempting to clean a sewage plant in Ghaziabad. The district administration has sent its recommendation against the delinquent engineers after the workers suffocated to death inside a 40 feet deep main pumping station (MPS) they had climbed downed for cleaning the sewage water. The administration has also paid a compensation of Rs. 10 lakh each to the kin of the victims, the district magistrate said. District magistrate Ritu Maheshwari told that six engineers of Jal nigam were found guilty for their negligence in monitoring the work of the company due to which the sanitation workers had died. A contract was signed for maintenance in between Envirocon and Jal Nigam for two years. The company allegedly did not provide the workers proper apparatuses to work under such a suffocating place. According to the Jal Nigam sources, the company has been black listed and Rs 30 lakh (compensation amount) will be recovered from it. They said Jal Nigam has seized the security of Rs 22 lakh of the company and the remaining amount will be recovered soon. Three workers Bulbul, Mahesh and Roshan (all in their late 30s) had died on Sunday after inhaling poisonous gas inside MPS during sanitation work. An FIR was registered against the company. Now, the charges for violation of the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their rehabilitation act and SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act have also been added, an officer said.