Sewage worker deaths in Noida: Day later, broken families but no FIR

The sewer line in Noida Sector 110. (Source: Express Photo/Amit Mehra)

On Thursday afternoon, 28-year-old Rajesh Sahu left for work five hours late. Unlike most days, when he would take up plumbing jobs, on Thursday he went to Noida’s Sector 110 market to “inspect” a sewer blockage. He was accompanied by his nephews, Vikas (18) and Ravendra (24).

Around 5.30 pm, when none of them returned home, Sahu’s three-month pregnant wife called his mobile phone — only to be told by an unknown person that they were at the district hospital. “I reached the hospital with a neighbour. We were asked to go to the post-mortem house in Sector 94. I thought he had fallen ill or hurt himself. He cannot die, leave me, our unborn child and our three-year-old daughter… We had come here so we could earn some money. A person who does not own land or have any wealth can do nothing in a village except work in the fields at low wages,” said Chameli Devi, Sahu’s wife.

Between 4 pm and 4.30 pm, Rajesh, Vikas and Ravendra were next to a sewer that is at least 20 feet deep. Noida Authority, which is responsible for drainage work, had received a complaint regarding a drain being choked. A private contractor had been given the responsibility of inspecting sewer lines near the market. Around 4.45 pm, one of the three men slipped into the sewer while using a bamboo stick to check the blockage. In an effort to save him, the other two jumped inside.

Their bodies were recovered from the sewer in the evening after a JCB machine was used to dig the area. They were rushed to the district hospital, where they were declared brought dead. No safety clothing, gear or equipment were found when the bodies were recovered, police sources said. All three hailed from a village in Jharkhand’s Godda district. While Sahu had been living in Noida for the last 10 years, Vikas had come to Noida around five days ago in search of a job.

“He had just finished Class XII and had applied to a college. He wanted to earn some money to support the family. His father has been unwell for some time. Ravindra had also come here on September 17,” said a neighbour in Noida’s Sector 9 jhuggi cluster. With an average daily income of Rs 300, Sahu used to live with his family in a single room in Sector 9, for which he paid Rs 2,200 per month.

A day after the incident, even as the Noida Authority announced Rs 10 lakh compensation for each family, no FIR was registered. Noida Authority officials maintained that “no manual cleaning of sewers is allowed” and an inquiry was underway.

“We have received a complaint from Noida Authority which states that one of the three workers slipped and the other two tried to save him. The complaint is not against anyone so an FIR cannot be registered. The contractor is still absconding. We have not received a complaint from any family member either,” said Shawez Khan, SHO, Noida Phase II police station.