VIJAYAWADA: A 45-year-old contractual sanitation worker of the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) died while cleaning a manhole in Badavapet on Saturday evening. The deceased, identified as Meda Manikyala Rao, is survived by a wife and two daughters.
His wife Yashoda alleged that Rao died by inhaling poisonous gases after he was forced to enter into the manhole to clear blockages in the underground drainage at Zakrayya Street. On the other hand, civic body chief Swapnil Dinakar Pundkar told TNIE that the sanitation worker was cleaning the UGD with a gulper machine (drain cleaning equipment) and accidentally fell into the manhole while inserting the pipe there.
“He was immediately rescued by his colleagues and CPR (Cardiopulmonary resuscitation) was performed before shifting him to the hospital,” the VMC commissioner explained.
Yashoda said her husband’s colleagues Jayaraj Prasad and Devaraj retrieved him from the manhole and took him to the Government General Hospital, where he was declared brought dead.
CPM leaders, kin demand Rs 50 lakh ex-gratia
She maintained that Rao would not have entered into the drain, if not for the pressure from officials.
On receiving the news, CPM leader Ch Babu Rao, along with other partymen, rushed to the hospital and enquired about the incident. Medamanikyala Rao’s family members and left party leaders staged a demonstration demanding justice and an ex-gratia of Rs 50 lakh from the government.
Meanwhile, Swapnil said ex-gratia will be provided to the sanitation worker’s family as per the rules.He maintained that the VMC does not follow the process of manually cleaning drains for a long time.