Compensation for deceased sanitation workers' kin announced

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday announced financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh each for the families of three sanitation employees who died while cleaning a gutter here. He also promised a government job to one family member each.

The three sanitation workers died on Sunday after inhaling toxic gases while cleaning a gutter in Lajpat Nagar.

The Chief Minister met the family members of the deceased and announced the compensation.

"A financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh will be granted to the affected families. One family member of each victim will be given a government job," he told the media.

"I have ordered a probe. The guilty will not be spared and punished under the law."

He said that a high-powered committee would examine why such incidents were happening, and accordingly, the required action would be taken.

Kejriwal also directed Delhi Jal Board CEO Keshav Chandra to "fix responsibility" of the officials and also identify the circmustances which led to this incident.

Later Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in the Delhi Assembly said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government was very much serious about the sanitation workers and there were "standing instructions" that sewer drains should not be cleaned manually.

"We are investigating into that incident and anyone -- whether contractor or official -- who violated the rules will not be spared," Sisodia told the House. The monsoon session of the assembly is underway.

One person each from the families of deceased sanitation workers would be given a job in Civil Defence.

Water Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam, while summing up a small discussion on the topic, said the government was formulating new parameters (to clean sewer) to check recurrence of such incidents and fix the responsibility of officers and contractors concerned.

"We will ensure that there is no manual cleaning of sewer in the city, but if there is requirement of manual cleaning, junior engineer will be on the spot," the minister said.

Meanwhile, former Delhi Minister Sandeep Kumar demanded that the families of the deceased be given Rs 1 crore as compensation and a "permanent government job", since a job in Civil Defence was not permanent.

--IANS

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