The police have given assurances that action will be taken against the people involved (representative picture). | Photo credit: iStock Images
Key highlights
- Three people are said to be in a septic tank in Odisha. to be suffocated
- No arrest has been made yet
Bhubaneswar: Even after years of being banned in the country, manual cleaning continues to haunt the people of Odisha. In a recent incident, three people in the state breathed their last time after entering a newly built septic tank through a manhole. The three people had climbed into the tank to remove the formwork from the inside.
Head mason Sidhesu Reddy supervised the construction of the septic tank. The tank was built for T Sidhesu Reddy, a resident of Bikrampur.
Victims stepped in to remove formwork
The three men had poured the top cover of the tank about two weeks ago and had to remove the formwork to keep the concrete mix intact. Police superintendent (SP), Berhampur, Pinak Mishra said Sadanand got into the tank first.
When Sadanand did not come out, two of Sidhesu’s neighbors – Krishna Reddy and Fr. Tareni Reddy went inside. When none of the three men came out, Sidhesu turned to the fire department for help.
“The three may have suffocated”
Mishra told the Hindustan Times, “The three may have suffocated.” Police assured that action will be taken if the deaths were caused by negligence.
Manual tidying up has been prohibited in India since 1993 according to the prohibition of employment as manual tidying up and its rehabilitation (law and rule). Even so, several cases of manual cleanup have been reported from several parts of the country. In some cases, plumbing workers have to step into septic tanks without protective equipment and inhaling toxic gases claims their lives. On the other hand, the lack of money forces the workers to take on the tasks of cleaning manholes, which are often fatal for them.
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