In a tragic incident on Monday morning, two workers died after falling into a tank at a municipal sewage treatment plant in Faridabad’s Jeevan Nagar. The victims, Aman (aged around 25) and his nephew Akash, were called to the plant early in the morning by the contractor to fit a chain required for maintenance work inside the tank.
Akash descended first, wearing a harness, but lost his balance after being affected by toxic fumes from inside the tank. As his safety belt snapped, he fell into the tank. Aman, who was also inside the tank, attempted to rescue him but slipped and fell as well. A third worker, Vipin, also tried to descend with a safety belt but was overwhelmed by fumes. Other workers at the site managed to pull him back before he could fall.
Police received information about the incident around 7:30 am. Teams from the police and fire brigade rushed to the plant and launched a search operation. Aman’s body was recovered first, but it took rescue teams nearly two hours to pull out Akash’s body.
Shivam Kumar, a plant operator and Aman’s elder brother, said the contractor had called the two men early that morning with instructions to fit the chain. He added that the two had been working continuously at the site for the past four days. According to workers, Aman and Akash were not wearing the harness properly, and the rope was loosely strung around them. They were not provided with oxygen masks, helmets, boots, or gloves.
The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013, prohibits hazardous manual cleaning of sewers and septic tanks. Entry into a sewer or septic tank is permitted only in exceptional circumstances and after following prescribed safety protocols. Employers must first attempt mechanical cleaning and, if human entry is unavoidable, provide protective equipment such as harnesses, helmets, gloves, boots, and full-body protective suits. The law also mandates compensation in sewer-death cases, but no such announcements have been made as yet.
Municipal commissioner Dhirendra Khadgata told TOI that they have submitted a written communication to the police department seeking an FIR against the contractor and a detailed investigation to ascertain the reasons behind the death of the workers. “Since the work was being handled by the contractor, he is liable to pay compensation. We have already conveyed it, and he has agreed to pay the same as per the SOP,” he said.
Akash had been working at the plant for about three years, and Aman for around 18 months. Both earned approximately Rs 15,000-16,000 a month.
Faridabad police spokesperson Yashpal Yadav said that an FIR had been filed against the contractor, Girdhari Lal, under BNS Section 106 (causing death by negligence) at Mujesar police station. Cops also said they are examining whether there was negligence in safety arrangements at the facility, with the snapped belt and the presence of toxic gas inside the tank the two primary factors under scrutiny.
