HYDERABAD: B. Anantaiah's family protested with his body, demanding a government job for his son in Sahebnagar, Vanasthalipuram, on Monday.
Speaking to this correspondent, 23-year-old N. Nagaraju, son of Anantaiah, said, "We are not demanding anything excessive. We are asking for a government job which we should get as per law in these types of incidents. My father was the sole breadwinner of the family. My mother is devastated with the news of my father's death."
"It is clear laxity of the GHMC that led to my father's death. Even after my father's death, we couldn't see him for almost six days. During these seven days, every minute we endured mental pain," Nagaraju shared his agony with this correspondent.
He further added that the officials did not find his father, it was his friends who found him in the manhole. Later, the officials reached the spot. “After trying relentlessly to recover my father's body, it was a harrowing and exhausting experience. My friends formed into groups and started searching throughout the public sewerage line from the spot my father went missing to the nearby lake where the sewerage line ends. One of my friends first saw the legs and informed us. The GHMC officials reached the spot and confirmed it was my father and brought him out with the help of Ajantha Techno Solutions team,” added Nagaraju.
“It was unbearable agony for my family for the last six days. We don't know how we can cope without my father being around. My mother Bhagyamma and my 21-year-old sister who is eight months pregnant spent sleepless nights in the last few days waiting for my father's dead body,” he said.
Aruna, Medchal district in-charge of Safai Karamchari Andolan, said, "It was a harrowing experience for the family. Although manual scavenging is banned, still it is being practiced in Hyderabad and due to the same, two innocent people lost their lives. It is the responsibility of the government to compensate them adequately."
The government provided Rs 10 lakh ex-gratia and Rs 5 lakh was given by the contractor. However, as the case was booked under SC/ST Act, they should get additional relief of government job to the victim's kin and pension to the wife of Anantaiah.
Based on the complaint by the victim, Vanasthalipuram police booked a case under Section 304-II IPC, SC/ST Prevention of Atrocity (POA) ACT, Provision of Employment as Manual Scavengers and Rehabilitation Act.
