Daijiworld Media Network - Jaipur
Jaipur, Apr 19: In a tragic and avoidable incident, two sanitation workers, including a 13-year-old boy, died of suffocation while cleaning a sewer line at a paper mill in Navkar Vatika, Khedli town of Rajasthan's Alwar district on Saturday.
The deceased were identified as Lacchi (50), son of Mangtu, and Hemraj (13), also known as Akash, son of Sagar Valmiki. According to officials, Lacchi initially entered the sewer for cleaning. When he did not return, Hemraj followed him in an attempt to help and also lost consciousness.
Both were later pulled out and rushed to the district hospital, where doctors declared them dead on arrival.
Khedli Police Station Officer Dhirendra Gurjar confirmed the incident and said that local police responded quickly. News of the deaths led to the arrival of grieving family members and members of the Valmiki community at the hospital.
Nagar Palika Vice Chairman Sandesh Khandelwal, Councillor Murarilal Sharma, and Business Committee President Pramod Bansal met with the families to offer condolences.
Outrage spread through the town, with locals and relatives staging a protest by blocking the Hindon Gate in Khedli. The protesters demanded financial compensation and a government job for one family member of the deceased. The demonstration continued after their demands were not met.
The incident has raised fresh concerns over the persistent violation of the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013, which strictly bans manual sewer cleaning.
Under this Act, manual entry into sewer lines is illegal unless equipped with appropriate safety gear and prior gas-level testing. Employers are required to ensure safe working conditions, and any violation is treated as a cognizable and non-bailable offence, punishable with severe penalties.
Despite the legal ban, cases of hazardous manual scavenging continue to emerge, often claiming lives from marginalized communities. This incident adds to the growing list of fatal violations and has sparked renewed calls for accountability and enforcement of safety laws.