Two men die of asphyxiation in spectic tank

The victims, Mani (50), of Grand Line near Red Hills and Selvam (44), of Theerthan Karayampattu were brought to clean a septic tank located inside the premises of Babu Lal grass broomstick manufacturing unit at Payasampakkam village in Red Hills. 

“The two men came to the company around 7.15 am and began the work. Mani went into the tank first and fainted. On seeing this, Selvam went inside in an effort to save him,” a police source said. 

“It is believed that the men had inhaled the a toxic gas formed in the septic tank. When the duo did not come out for long, the company officials alerted the Fire and Rescue Service personnel who rushed to the spot,” sources said. 

“However, they could only fish out the bodies. The bodies were sent to the Government Stanley Hospital for post mortem,” the added. The septic tank is nearly 15-foot deep and the men were allegedly not given any safety gear for doing the work. 

The company has a manufacturing unit and a godown on the premises. The owner of the firm is allegedly evading arrest. 

“The owner lives in Sowcarpet, we have sent a team to arrest him,” police said. 

The police have taken the company’s contractor Rajendran, supervisor Sivakumar and security guard Mari into custody. 

It was Rajendran who brought in the two men for the cleaning work. 

Mani is survived by wife and a son while Selvam is survived by wife and three kids. 

A senior police official said, “Manual scavenging is banned under the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act 2013. So far we have arrested three persons from the company for allowing this to happen. The police department will ensure that the families are duly compensated.”