A day after a conservancy worker died in a manhole while cleaning sewage on Tuesday evening at Sasoon Dock, locals at the docks are now demanding blacklisting the contractor who has been booked for negligence. Residents will be sending a letter to Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) demanding that a new contractor be appointed and that compensation be given to the deceased's family.
Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) is undertaking redevelopment of the docks and the work has been given to a contractor.
Colaba police, having registered a case of negligence, have alleged that the contractor did not take proper safety measures while sending workers into the manhole. "The workers did not have any mask, hand gloves, safety belt, and a staircase which would have saved the poor man's life. But the contractor did not provide it. The worker was also not a professional cleaner, but a daily wager. We are writing a letter to MbPT's president on Thursday demanding that the contractor be blacklisted and a new professional contractor be appointed. The new contractor should be a professional with experience as it is very risky otherwise. We will also demand compensation for the deceased's family," said Krishna Pavle, a fishing businessman.
"We have booked the contractor and he is at large. We are trying to trace him," said Vijay Dhopavkar, Senior Police Inspector of Colaba Police Station.
Ahmed Ansari, along with two other workers, had entered into a manhole at Sasoon Dock on Tuesday from which a poisonous gas was released. The two workers fell unconscious due to the gas, and the third worker immediately alerted others who were outside the drain. However, it was becoming difficult to pull them out as there wasn't a staircase or other equipment. Colaba police were then informed and they, with the help of the fire brigade, pulled them out. Both of them were rushed to St George hospital. While one was declared dead on arrival, the other survived.
