• Source:JND
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Kolkata News: Three wage labourers lost their lives while working inside an underground drainage line at the Kolkata Leather Complex on Sunday morning. The incident has raised serious concerns about safety procedures, especially following a recent Supreme Court ruling against manual scavenging.

According to a Hindustan Times report, Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim visited the site and announced a police inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the deaths. He explained that one labourer fell ill while working in a manhole on a public road, prompting the other two to attempt a rescue. All three were exposed to hazardous waste from nearby tanneries, which is supposed to be directed to an effluent treatment plant.

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“The waste contains various chemicals and the drainage line should not have been accessed without proper safety measures,” Hakim stated. He assured that the local Bantala police station would investigate why these workers were sent into the manhole and why pumps were not used to manage the situation. “Nobody will be spared,” he added firmly.

The deceased have been identified as Suman Sardar, Farzan Sheikh and Sheikh Hashim. Rescue workers had to don diving gear to retrieve the bodies from the 10-foot deep manhole. Preliminary reports suggest that the three men may have inhaled toxic gas that accumulated inside the tunnel, which was expected to be dry.

In light of the incident, the state government has pledged Rs 10 lakh in compensation to each victim's family. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee directed Mayor Hakim to respond quickly to the situation as soon as she learned of the tragedy.

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The Supreme Court had recently prohibited manual scavenging and manual sewer cleaning in major cities, including Kolkata, as part of a ruling aimed at eradicating such dangerous practices. The order was issued on January 29 following a petition advocating for the complete elimination of manual scavenging in India.

BJP leaders have seized upon the incident to criticise the Trinamool Congress government. Sukanta Majumdar, president of the BJP's Bengal unit, expressed his outrage on X, questioning how workers could be sent into a hazardous environment despite the new regulations. He described the incident as a "State Sponsored Murder," demanding accountability from the government.