World Connect News
A very heart-wrenching and sensational news has come out from Gopalganj district of Bihar, which has sent a wave of mourning in the entire area. There was chaos in a quiet and busy rural area of Gopalganj district of the state when during the cleaning and construction work of an under-construction toilet and septic tank, poisonous gas suddenly engulfed four innocent and hardworking laborers. In this terrible and heart-wrenching accident, all four laborers died on the spot due to suffocation, causing an outcry. Due to the sudden death of these laborers, who had come out of their homes every day to feed their families, their families are crying in distress. As soon as information about the incident was received, the local police and administrative staff immediately reached the spot, but by then it was too late. This painful fire or rather this dreadful accident of poisonous gas has once again brought to the notice of the country the ignoring of safety standards at construction sites and serious negligence during cleaning of septic tanks, due to which everyone is shocked.
A group of laborers had descended into the dark well-like septic tank.
According to initial information received from eyewitnesses and local people, work of a new toilet tank i.e. septic tank was going on in this particular area of Gopalganj. To complete the work or to clean and cast it, one by one the workers had entered the deep and closed tank, where there was no proper arrangement for ventilation. As soon as the workers reached inside the tank, the deadly and poisonous gases like methane and hydrogen sulphide already filled inside attacked their lungs. Due to severe lack of oxygen and coming in contact with these poisonous gases, one after another the workers started suffocating and they fell unconscious inside the tank. By the time other people standing outside understood what was going on and thought of doing something to help, it was too late and the environment inside the tank had become completely lethal, due to which none of the workers present there could even get a chance to recover.
Four lost their lives while trying to save one
The most painful aspect of this accident was that when the health of the first laborer deteriorated inside the tank and he did not come out, the second laborer went inside to save him, and in the same way, one by one, four laborers went down inside that poisonous well-like tank. This process of rescue proved to be such a trap of death that whoever went inside, got hit by the poisonous gas and fell unconscious there. In such cases, it is often seen that people get into closed tanks without proper safety equipment, masks or oxygen cylinders, which ultimately results in a major mass accident. By the time the local administration, fire department or rescue teams got proper information about this and after a lot of effort they pulled out the four workers, their breathing had stopped forever. When he was taken to the hospital, the doctors declared him dead, due to which everyone in the hospital premises became tearful after hearing the cries of his family members.
Panic in the administrative department and demand for compensation
After this tragic accident, senior officials of Gopalganj district administration and police department immediately reached the spot and took stock of the entire situation. Local villagers and angry family members expressed their deep anger over the fact that these poor laborers were being made to do such dangerous work without any safety kit and modern equipment. People allege that the contractor and the landlord completely ignored the safety standards, due to which such a major accident took place. Considering the seriousness of the situation, the administration has assured that an impartial investigation will be conducted into the entire matter and strictest legal action will be taken against whoever is found guilty of this negligence. Besides, the process of providing proper financial assistance and compensation to the affected families as per the government rules has also been started, so that some relief can be provided to their families in this hour of grief.
Ignoring safety norms and frequent accidents
This is not the first case of death of workers due to poisonous gas during cleaning or construction of septic tanks and sewers in different parts of the country, but such incidents repeatedly expose the law and order situation. Despite the strict guidelines of the Supreme Court and various courts, the illegal practice of manual scavenging and cleaning of such dangerous tanks without safety equipment continues in full swing. This incident in Gopalganj once again exposes the bitter truth that unless contractors and employers are strictly forced to follow safety rules, the lives of poor laborers will continue to be put at risk. There is a need that the local administration should conduct surprise inspections at all such construction sites and ensure the provision of heavy fines and jail sentences for violation of safety standards, so that in future no other family has to suffer such unbearable pain.