COIMBATORE: A 37-year-old man asphyxiated to death allegedly while he tried to clean a septic tank at a private apartment on Kannabiran Mill Road near Sowripalayam around 3.30 pm on Thursday. Two more workers suffered mild suffocation and were admitted in a private hospital in the city.
The deceased was identified as M Mohanasundaralingam (37) of Thiyagi Sivaram Nagar in Sungam near Ramanathapuram. He owned a sewage suction truck and employed two workers. Police said he regularly cleaned septic tanks in the locality along with workers Guna and Ramu.
On Thursday, Guna and Ramu went inside a a 15-ft deep septic tank in the apartment complex while Mohanasundaralingam watched them from outside.
While climbing down the ladder into the tank, Ramu slipped and fell into sewage. Mohanasundaralingam entered the tank to relieve him, but fainted.
The others, who went to his rescue, also felt mild suffocation. Immediately they alerted residents of the apartment and pulled them out by themselves. But Mohanasundaralingam had died. Guna and Ramu were taken to a private hospital. Peelamedu police are investigating.
A Natesan, inspector of police in Peelamedu station said that they did not receive any complaints from the victim’s family. “By the time we reached the spot, the victims including the deceased were taken to the hospital by ambulance. An investigation will be conducted to find out whether they were wearing protective gear. We will register a case based on complaint filed by the victim’s family and action will be taken against those who engaged them for the work” he added.
Meanwhile, a group of advocates met the family members of Mohanasundaralingam at Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH) where the body was placed for postmortem. They said that they would petition the district administration and police to take action against those who engaged them in the manual scavenging.
They also said the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act and the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act should be invoked against those who engaged them.