2 die of suffocation while cleaning manhole

Lokmat News Network

Two persons died of suffocation while cleaning a chocked drainage after entering the manhole in the Salim Ali Lake area on Monday. Two more persons are said to be critical and are being treated. A case of accidental death has been registered with the City Chowk police station. The deceased have been identified as Raosaheb Sadashiv Ghorpade (35) and Ankush Babasaheb Thorat (38) while Vishnu Ugale and Lilas alias Balu Vishram Kharat (all residents of Bhimrajnagar, Himayatbaug) are in critical condition.

Police said, Krian Dabhade is a drainage contractor and he had taken the contract of cleaning the choked drainage for Rs 15,000. A 400 mm pipeline in the Salim Ali Lake area was choked up and it was stinking. Ghorpade, Thorat, Vilas, and Kiran on Monday went to clean the drainage on Monday at around 9 am. Ankush Thorat entered the manhole and removed a stone from it and hence it was cleared, but he lost his balance and fell inside the manhole. Ghorpade also went inside to help Thorat. Later, in an attempt to save Ghopade and Ankush, Kiran and Ugale also went inside the manhole but they also got entangled inside. The nearby residents removed all four people from the manhole, of them two were already died. Ugale was in critical condition. All of them were rushed to the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH). The doctors declared the two persons dead after the examination and two are being treated in the intensive care department.

Relatives gather at GMCH, police station

On receiving the information, the relatives of the deceased gathered at GMCH. They busted into tears and everyone present got emotional. The relatives claimed that the fire brigade reached the spot late and if it would have reached earlier the deceased may be saved. However, the fire brigade claimed that they reached the spot immediately after receiving the call.

Deceased Ankush Thorat has three children and he is survived by his wife, parents, brother and children. Ankush Thorat is survived by his wife, one son, and a daughter. All four used to work on daily wages and sustain their families. After their death, the issue of the liveliness of the families came to the fore.

Meanwhile, MP Imtiyaaz Jaleel went to GMCH and met the family members. He demanded that there are directives from the High Court that the government should give financial aid to the family members of the workers who died while cleaning drainage. Hence, the family members of the deceased should get maximum financial assistance.