Ahmedabad: Four AMC employees fell nearly 45 feet into an under-construction 30MLD sewage treatment plant in Sola on Monday afternoon. Two died, while the other two are in stable condition at Sola Civil Hospital. AMC said a trial run was on at the STP when a welder working inside slipped and fell into the pump house well. The other three jumped in to rescue him. Hospital authorities said one was brought dead to the hospital.AMC, in an official statement, identified the dead as Abhishek (welder) and Manoj (site manager). Plant manager Rupesh and driver Nilesh are stable, it said.AMC has fined the contractor, M/s HNB Engineers Pvt Ltd, Rs 50 lakh. The firm will pay Rs 25 lakh each to the families of the deceased.The deaths have raised questions of occupational safety measures for workers. “If a person slipped and fell into the STP tank while welding, it implies that they were working without safety harness. The STP was undergoing a trial run, meaning sewage water was present in the tank, creating a possibility of toxic gas exposure. Despite this, welder was not provided with masks. This is negligence by AMC and the contractor,” sources said.The civic body did not clarify if it will investigate whether the welder was affected by toxic gases after being lowered into the tank.Its official statement read: “A preliminary investigation into the accident revealed that inspection was ongoing at the pump house today. During this, an employee accidentally slipped and fell into the pump house well. While attempting to save him, the plant supervisor and two other individuals also fell into the well. Upon learning of the incident, the fire department immediately initiated rescue. All four were pulled out of the sump and sent to Sola Civil Hospital. ”The statement added, “The condition of Rupesh (plant manager) and Nilesh (driver) is stable. Manoj (site in-charge) and Abhishek (welder) passed away during treatment. Necessary action will be taken by the STP department. A notice levying a penalty of Rs 50 lakh has been issued to M/s HNB Engineers Pvt Ltd for negligence in work. The company has undertaken to provide Rs 25 lakh compensation to the families of both the deceased. ”An official from Ahmedabad Fire and Emergency Services said, “Information about the emergency came through a call on 112. Teams from the Thaltej and Bodakdev fire stations along with the emergency responder and rescue operation team rushed to the spot and immediately launched rescue operations. All four individuals were transported to Sola Civil Hospital via the 108 ambulance service. The exact causes of the incident, the circumstances leading to the workers losing consciousness, and safety arrangements at the site are subject to investigation by relevant authorities. ”BoxIn 2019, four deaths at OdhavAhmedabad: Around 2am on May 19, 2019, four workers fell into a tank at Ambika drainage pumping station in Odhav and died. AMC gave a clean chit to the contractor. The workers were allegedly standing above the tank and fell in after being affected by gas, resulting in death by asphyxiation. AMC still does not mandate PPE for any work carried out in STP or drainage pumping station tanks.
