Sewage plant deaths: Duo held for negligence

Mumbai: Two days after three contractual workers lost their lives due to asphyxiation while working inside a sewage treatment plant (STP) at Mira Road, the Kashimira police has arrested two people including the supervisor for ca-using the deaths by negligence. However, the labour contractor is still at large.

The incident was reported from the Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation’s (MBMC’s) STP near Prem Nagar, Mira Road, Wednesday afternoon.

The accused have been identified as Prince Santosh Singh and Narendra Antad. While Singh supervised the plant where the incident took place, Antad is said to be the in-charge of all STPs in the twincity that are run and maintained by Subhash Projects and Marketing Infra Limited.

The private agency was deployed by the civic administration for provision of underground sewerage facilities and commission of ten pumping stations, supported by an equal number of STPs for scientific disposal of recycled water.

Senior police inspector Vaibhav Shingare said, “Two people have been arrested, even as the labour contractor, Andvara Bibi Paathar, who is a co-accused in the crime, is still at large. The trio has been booked under section 304 (a) of the Indian Penal Code.”

Meanwhile, former Congress legislator, Muzaffar Hussain, has demanded that first information reports (FIRs) be registered against the concerned civic officials who were equally responsible for the deaths of the workers.

The deceased workers Muzaffar Mohalik (24), Abdul Rafique Akbar Mandal (55), and Mafizzul Miraj Mandal (19) apparently entered the tank to operate a valve which separates the sludge from sewage in the underground chamber when the incident took place.