Hyderabad manhole tragedy: Experienced, but no safety gear

Hyderabad: Lack of basic things like a mask for doing a dangerous job like getting into a manhole is an everyday affair for the people of Manikeshwari Nagar on OU campus, where P. Srinivas, 40, Satyanarayana, 42, and Nagesh, 32, who died in Saturday’s manhole tragedy, used to live.

The victims' kin said the three were about to leave on Saturday evening when the contractor told them to finish one more job in the manhole at Ayyapa Society. HMWSSB officials said the three workers were not lowered into the manhole with a rope tied around them which is a must so that if there is something wrong the worker can be pulled up. Moreover, the contractor did not keep manhole door open for 2-3 hours as mandated or conduct tests to ensure there are no poisonous gases in the manhole.

P. Venkatesh, a nephew of Srinivas, said, “In Manikeshwari Nagar many people have been doing this since long. They are experienced but do not have safety gear, and that is the reason for their death. It is not true the three were unskilled. The government is trying to wash its hands off by paying a compensation of Rs 2.5 lakh each. The three died while working for the government and their families should be given a decent compensation.”

The three who died on Saturday were neighbours. While Nagesh has two sons and a daughter, Satyanarayana has two sons. Srinivas has one daughter whom he and his wife adopted.