The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has sought the response of Dindigul Corporation authorities to a petition filed by a woman seeking compensation from the State for the death of her differently abled husband.
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Justice G.R. Swaminathan sought the response of the authorities to the petition filed by K. Muthumari of Dindigul district, who said her husband V. Vetrivel died while trying to rescue their son who had slipped into a pond on the periphery of Kottaikulam near Rock Fort in February. The pond, which was used for immersion of Vinayaka idols, was choked with puja materials and other waste, the petitioner said.
Vetrivel jumped into the pond to rescue their son. However, both of them inhaled the poisonous gas emanating from the pond and could not come out of it. Two Fire and Rescue Services personnel, part of a team that rushed to the spot to rescue them, also fell unconscious.
The petitioner said the next day Dindigul Corporation officials ordered sanitary workers to clean the pond without providing them with any safety equipment. This was against the provisions of the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013, she said.
The petitioner sought appropriate compensation from the State and a direction to the authorities to take action against Dindigul Corporation officials who asked the sanitary workers to clean the pond which was filled with the poisonous gas without providing them with proper equipment.