Two labourers suffocate while trying to clean a manhole in front of Minister’s house; two arrested.

The scourge of the prohibited practice of manual scavenging returned to haunt the city, with two labourers suffocating while trying to clean a manhole in Jayamahal on Tuesday.

While the 12-feet-deep manhole was outside the Income Tax and Central Excise Department quarters; ironically, the incident happened in front of Social Welfare Minister H. Anjaneya’s house. The Minister is responsible for monitoring and rehabilitation of manual scavengers.

Around 1.15 p.m., police and emergency services personnel pulled out a barely breathing Prasanna Kumar (29), a resident of M.S. Palya, and the body of Yathiraj alias Sethu (23) of K.G. Halli. Prasanna Kumar, who died later, had married just six months ago.

Three people were working for a private contractor, Nagraja, who was assigned by Central Public Works Department (CPWD) Engineer Bala Reddy to clear the clogged drains of the quarters.

Around noon, Yathiraj ventured into the manhole without protective gear. He fainted on inhaling noxious gases. Prasanna Kumar, who was monitoring the cleaning, attempted to pull up Yathiraj and fell into the manhole. Another worker, Kumar, raised an alarm, said the police.

Bhanu Prakash, Fire Officer, who headed the rescue operation, said Prasanna Kumar still had a pulse when he was taken out of the manhole. Officials attempted to administering cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in vain.

Relatives and friends of Prasanna Kumar, who gathered at the spot, said he was only a coordinator and had not been employed as a sewer cleaner before.

The contractor and the CPWD Engineer were arrested on the charge of death due to negligence. The duo should not have allowed the deceased to get into the manhole and should have ensured the use of a sucking or jetting machine, said Deputy Commissioner of Police T.R. Suresh.

Minister’s assures support to families

Calling the incident “unfortunate”, Social Welfare Minister H. Anjaneya assured the government’s support to the families of the two deceased labourers. “Despite rules prohibiting manual scavenging, such incidents are recurring. These workers have neither safety nor training and are often bonded labourers,” he said.

Blaming the local civic bodies for Tuesday’s accident, he said the prohibition of manual scavenging would be intensified through changes in rules dealing with drain cleaning.

Meanwhile, at the hospital, relatives complained to Health Minister U.T. Khader that the ambulance did not have oxygen facility that could have revived one of the labourers who was gasping for breath when pulled out of the manhole. “The 108 ambulance control room would have GPS facility which can monitor the movements of the ambulance. We will verify the facts and take strict action if there are any lapses,” Mr. Khader said.