Three men were asphyxiated while cleaning a 12-ft-deep sewage treatment plant (STP) at the basement of an apartment complex at Somasundarapalya, HSR Layout, on Sunday.
They had no protection by way of masks or gloves, or equipment to help them with the task, and their bodies were allegedly discovered more than an hour after they died. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) M.B. Boralingaiah said an FIR had been filed against the apartment association for death due to negligence. The tragedy highlights the fact that the prohibited practice of manual scavenging is rampant in the city, especially with apartment complexes commissioning private contractors for the job instead of turning to civic agencies.
In the Sunday’s incident, the contractor, Narayanaswamy, 35, was hired by N.D. Sepal Apartment at Somasundarapalya, HSR Layout, to clean the STP and undertake other civic work. The other two victims had no experience cleaning STPs: Srinivas, 56, was a painter by profession, and Made Gowda, 42, worked as a pest controller at a garment factory.
According to the police, they had agreed to the job after Narayanaswamy said he would pay them on Sunday itself. Around 11 a.m., the men arrived at the STP unit, which was allegedly clogged. After questioning the apartment complex’s security guard, the police believe that one of the men entered the tank but without any protective gear; he suffocated because of the toxic gas and the lack of oxygen.
“We believe that when he did not respond to their calls, the other two ventured into the tank and collapsed soon after,” said a police officer.
Their bodies were discovered more than hour after the incident by the security guard who went to check on then. The police and Fire and Emergency Services personnel arrived at the spot by noon. “We administered CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) before taking them to St. John’s hospital where the doctors declared them as brought dead,” said Basavaraj, a senior Fire Services officer.
“Two personnel who ventured into the tank during the rescue operation also took ill because of the toxic gas even though they were wearing masks. The victims had no protection and should not have been allowed to clean the STP. The apartment complex should have asked civic agencies to clean the STP,” he said, and added that the association should have supervised the work and provided safety measures.
The police have summoned members of the association for questioning. As the news spread, family members of the deceased gathered at the spot and protested against the negligence of the association.
Families demand clarity, action against apartment
Hours after the three men were asphyxiated while cleaning the STP, their bereaved family members staged a protest at St. John’s hospital, demanding action against the apartment association.
Relatives demanded clarity on why the victims were inside the septic tank without any protective gear, and sought to know what action the police were taking.
Nagaraj, whose brother-in-law Made Gowda is one of the victims, alleged that none of the residents of the N.D. Sepal Apartment at Somasundarapalya visited the hospital or even offered an explanation on what happened.
“I was on my way to work when I got a call, around noon. I rushed to the apartment. The stench from the STP was overwhelming. There was a delay in getting oxygen tanks to rescue the three victims. We had a sliver of hope that the three would survive and we rushed them to the hospital. But the doctors declared them dead,” he said.
Radha, wife of one of the victims Narayanaswamy, said her husband left home at 7.30 a.m. and she got the news of his death around noon.
Vijay, the son of Srinivas — a painter by profession — who died on the spot, also questioned the lack of safety gear. “How did the apartment management let them in without any entry being made in the visitors’ register?” he sought to know.
Mayor announces compensation
Mayor R. Sampath Raj visited the bereaved families of the three victims at St. John’s hospital here on Sunday and announced a compensation of ₹5 lakh each. Stating that this was an unfortunate incident, he condoled their death. If the victims own a site in the city, he said the BBMP would also provide them a house under its Onti Mane scheme. A sum of ₹10,000 was provided to each family for the last rites.
