Safety Rules Compliance In Question As Sewer Worker Dies In Lucknow S Chinhat Area

(LMC). The incident prompted the civic body to order an investigation into the private agency responsible for the operation.

The accident occurred near the fruit market at Chinhat Tiraha, where four workers were cleaning a sewer line under a project executed by the LMC’s civil department through a private contractor. Police identified the deceased as Lalaram, who was working alongside Lalit, Akash Kumar and Rajan, when he entered a sewer chamber and lost consciousness due to the poisonous gases inside.

According to police, co-workers and local residents pulled Lalaram out of the sewer and rushed him for treatment, first towards Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences and later to a private hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

The incident has again highlighted the safety of sanitation workers and the accountability of private agencies hired by civic agencies. Although a police media release stated that workers had been provided with safety kits and were using protective equipment during the operation, local sources and elected representatives have questioned the fact.

A corporator, requesting anonymity, alleged that the work had been outsourced to a private contractor and claimed that workers often enter sewer lines without using proper safety equipment.

“Many workers do not carry or use the prescribed safety kits while undertaking such hazardous work,” the corporator said.

Mayor Sushma Kharkwal visited the hospital following the incident and spoke to the workers who were present during the operation. She said the LMC’s tender conditions clearly require contractors and agencies to provide adequate safety equipment to workers engaged in sewer cleaning.

“The workers informed me that the deceased entered the sewer chamber without taking safety measures. Toxic gases inside the chamber appear to have caused his death,” Kharkwal said.

The mayor said the municipal corporation would investigate the contractor’s role and take strict action if negligence or violations of safety norms are found.

Municipal commissioner Gaurav Kumar revealed that a preliminary investigation is underway. Based on the findings, an FIR will be registered and the agency will be blacklisted from the LMC, and financial help will be provided to the victims family.

Legal proceedings have been initiated, and officials said the exact cause of death will be confirmed after the post-mortem examination.

Despite repeated bans on hazardous manual cleaning of sewers and septic tanks, at least 11 people have lost their lives in such incidents in Lucknow between 2016 and 2024, according to past reports published by HT.

The first reported death in the list was that of Ankit Babu on May 30, 2016. In 2018, two more workers — Jalil and Jaleel — died on June 4 and January 1, respectively.

2019 witnessed three fatalities – Dheeraj on May 29 and Sahabuddin and Rabul on June 16.

In October 2021, a worker, Sonu, died while cleaning a sewer line. Two more labourers, Puram and Karan, lost their lives on March 29, 2022, during septic tank cleaning work.

Another incident before Friday’s incident was reported on May 1, 2024, when Sushil Yadav and Sobran Yadav died during cleaning operations.