Open Drain Death In Odisha: Family Members Protest With Body At CMC For Compensation

Cuttack: A day after a sanitary worker fell into an open drain and died in the city, tension prevailed at the office of the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) on Thursday as the family members of deceased staged a with his body.

The protesters, who staged a sit-in outside the CMC office building, demanded adequate compensation and justice to the family of the deceased.

According to sources, sanitary worker P Narasingha was allegedly called by officials do some work, assuring payment. He was later engaged in cleaning work at the open drain under the ongoing box-drain project at Barapathar near Buxi Bazar.

The man was carrying out the cleaning work when he slipped into the drain and died.

It may be recalled here that a 21-year-old youth had died after falling into an open drain at Jhola Sahi  in the city on Saturday night. The deceased was identified as Rahul, a native of Rajasthan. He was staying with his relatives here.

According to sources, he slipped and fell into the drain while on his way to a tea shop in the city, where several low-lying parts of Cuttack were waterlogged following heavy rain. He died at the spot. His father, who runs a tea stall in Puri, has lodged a complaint in connection with the incident with Purighat police.

In May, a 13-year-old girl had sustained grievous injuries after a decades-old iron bridge collapsed at Gamadia locality of Kesarpur under Purighat police limits and succumbed while undergoing treatment at SCB Medical College and Hospital. The housing and urban development department later suspended two assistant engineers of Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) for dereliction of duty.