Two cleaning drainage line suffocate on SVNIT campus

Surat: Two persons including a 15-year-old boy died due to asphyxiation inside an underground drainage pipeline on Tuesday while one fell unconscious in an attempt to rescue the two.
The incident took place behind Sarabhai Bhavan Hostel on the campus of Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology (SVNIT) when the victims were clearing the drainage.
After the victims fell unconscious inside, Surat Fire and Emergency Service (SFES) were alerted by those present at the spot. The fire team rescued the three from drainage and shifted to hospital where two were declared dead while one is admitted in New Civil Hospital.
The deceased were identified as Kadir Ishakmiya Siddki (45), a plumber and Satyam Shah (15). Shravan Basappa Hanauli (45), the labour contractor, is under treatment.
“Initially, we were informed that two people had fallen unconscious but on reaching there, we found there were three people inside. The contractor entered the drain to rescue the two workers,” said a SFES official.
Officials said neither any safety equipment was used nor guidelines were followed while entering a drainage line. The victims must have fallen unconscious due to inhalation of methane gas,” said an SFES officer who was part of the rescue operation.
Meanwhile, SVNIT authorities in a statement claimed: “The SVNIT Surat has awarded the work for replacing the damaged main drainage line behind Sarabhai Bhavan Hostel to M/s Sharanbasappa H. Honnali. On Tuesday morning, it was brought to our notice that two persons engaged by the contractor had descended themselves in the drainage chamber. While rescuing these persons, the contractor had also descended himself in the drainage chamber.”
However, SVNIT officials said they were not aware that the contractor had employed a minor boy for the work. An SVNIT team was present when the cleaning work began. “It was their first day of work and SVNIT officials were not informed about lack of safety equipment and that a minor was employed,” said a senior official.
Police booked Hanauli for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and other sections under IPC, The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act and The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act. The complaint was lodged by Gautam Shah, a plumber.
“The boy was sent first into the the drange to remove soil and he fell unconscious. Later, the other victim also entered and fainted,” said police.