Swaraj India flays Delhi government for sewer workers' deaths

Swaraj India on Sunday accused the Delhi government of being "insensitive and irresponsible" over the death of sewer workers here and demanded a White Paper on their problems.

Accusing the Delhi government of maintaining a deafening silence on the issue, the party demanded that the authorities ensure that no worker was deployed to clean sewers without proper safety gear.

"On Sunday, a sewer worker Rishi Pal, 40, lost his life at the Loknayak Jayprakash Narayan Hospital because of the government's insensitivity towards problems of sanitation workers. His two co-workers were admitted to hospital after they also inhaled poisonous gases," party's spokesperson and Delhi unit President Anupam said.

He said cleaning of sewers fell under the Public Works Department but the contractors concerned had employed sewer workers without providing them safety equipment.

"Swaraj India holds the Delhi government responsible for the loss of lives of these workers," he said.

--IANS

sp/tsb/dg