Chennai: In yet another case of manual scavenging deaths, two lost their lives when they were tasked to clean a septic tank, without any safety gear, in a private company in Red Hills, on Saturday.
The city police arrested three persons and launched a manhunt for the owner of the ‘cleaning mop’ manufacturing firm. The incident was reported at around 10 am in the manufacturing facility of B. Bharath kumar, (46), of Govindapanaicken Street, Sowcarpet, located in Payasambakkam in Pulliline Village Panchayat, Red Hills.
The deceased were identified as Mani, (45), of Indra Nagar, Grand Line village, Red Hills, and Selvam, (48), of JJ Nagar, Theerthakariyampattu, Red Hills.
Bharath Kumar had arranged to clean the septic tank in the facility, which is used to collect sewage, and industrial waste. A sewer tanker cleared the sewage water, and the sludge remained in the septic tank. In order to remove the sludge, Bharath Kumar hired four persons including the deceased duo.
While Mani and Selvam lowered themselves into the pit, their coworkers waited in the surface to collect the sludge removed from the pit. Both Mani and Selvam collapsed were exposed to the obnoxious gases soon after they entered the pit, which is 25 feet deep.
Rattled by the development, the co-workers who called out the collapsed duo for a while fled the site. The firm’s supervisor Sivakumar, (62), of Athipattu, Minjur, alerted Fire and Rescue Services who fished out the bodies, and the Red Hills Police moved the bodies to Government Stanley Hospital for pos mortem.
The firm did not provide any safety gear for the victims. Red Hills police arrested Sivakumar, two other employees Rajendran, (48), of Alandur, and Mani, (60), of Vilangadupakkam.
A hunt is on to trace Bharath kumar, who is at large. Both the deceased are the sole winners of their family. Mani is survived by his wife, two daughters, and a son while Selvam is survived by his wife, a daughter, and two sons.
