Patna: A sanitation worker Saddam Hussain (20) hailing from West Bengal died of asphyxiation when he along with Ramzan Ali (28) got trapped inside a 30-foot-deep newly built manhole while carrying out drain-related work in Sri Krishnapuri area here late Monday night.Ramzan is undergoing treatment at a hospital.The incident occurred near the A N College water tank, when the workers of a private firm were working on construction of a drainage network under the Namami Gange project. According to officials, both Saddam and Ramzan fell unconscious because of a suspected gas leak inside the manhole while working in the sewer line.Police said both Saddam and Ramzan are residents of Harishchandrapur in Malda district, West Bengal.Emergency responders from Dial-112 were the first to reach the spot after receiving information about the incident. The fire brigade was subsequently called in to assist with the rescue operation. Due to the depth of the manhole and the challenging conditions inside, rescuers initially supplied oxygen to the trapped workers from above before pulling them out with ropes.Assistant divisional fire officer (ADFO) Indrajit Kumar said an alert was received at 12.46am on Monday about the accident. Following the information, a Quick Response Team (QRT) led by him rushed to the location and launched the rescue operation.“The rescue was extremely challenging due to the depth of the manhole and the water inside. Since the operation was carried out at night, visibility and access were also major concerns,” Kumar said.SK Puri’s SHO Jitendra Rana, also rushed to the spot. “After being rescued, both workers were rushed to a nearby private hospital for treatment. However, Saddam succumbed to his condition, while Ramzan continues to receive medical care,” he told TOI.The SHO said the new drainage network is being constructed in the area under Namami Gange project and the workers are working at the site for long hours. “The manhole was built recently and Saddam went inside using the iron ring for some work. When he did not return, another worker Ramzan went inside the chamber. When there was no response from both, the agency informed Dial 112 about the incident. It is suspected that the worker died of suffocation. His body was sent for the postmortem,” Rana said.Following the incident, the Managing Director of the Bihar Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation limited (BUIDCO) Animesh Kumar Parashar took immediate cognisance of the matter and ordered an inquiry.The inquiry revealed that the construction work related to the manhole had already been completed by BUIDCO and the site had been officially closed. Despite this, the agency’s personnel were found working at the location when the incident occurred, raising serious questions about safety compliance.The MD has ordered a detailed investigation to determine why workers were engaged at the site even after the completion of construction work. BUIDCO has also issued a show-cause notice to the concerned agency and imposed a penalty of approximately Rs 2.01 crore for violations under ESHS (Environment, Safety, Health and Security) norms. The amount is being forfeited as part of the disciplinary action.In addition, officials noted that Rs 5.96 lakh had already been withheld from the agency earlier for previous violations. Parashar has directed all contractors and agencies to strictly adhere to workplace safety standards, emphasizing that ensuring the safety of workers during construction and maintenance activities is the responsibility of the executing agency.He stated that no compromise with safety norms would be tolerated and that the success of any infrastructure project can only be measured when the safety and well-being of all personnel involved are fully protected.
