Team Herald
VASCO: The Vasco police are likely to register a case against the contractor as well as the officials of the beach resort after two labourers died due to asphyxiation, while cleaning hotel septic tank on Thursday evening. The accused contractor, identified as one Sunil Singh, has been absconding after the incident.
According to information, upon the directions issued by the contractor, two labours including one Gajanan Patil (27) and Vishal Piyush Noronha (33), both residents of Baina entered into the septic tank at about 7.30 pm and the duo lost consciousness after inhaling poisonous fumes and fell into five feet deep filth, leading to their instantaneous death. As the duo failed to come out of the septic, another staff engaged by the contractor suspected something amiss and intimated the contractor. Later, they raised alarm and their bodies were removed by Vasco fire station personnel.
Both the dead bodies were shifted to government hospital for autopsy and the doctors have already preformed autopsy on Gajanan Patil where the doctors have confirmed that the victim died due to suffocation, however as the relatives of Noronha is expected to arrive in state shortly, post mortem on his body is pending.
“While investigating the case, we found that the contractor had not taken due safety measures before taking up such work. Also there has been Supreme Court order on abolition of manual scavenging in the country therefore we have decided to book the contractor under section 304 and other relevant sections of law,” informed Police Inspector of Vasco Police station, PI Sagar Ekoskar
He further informed, “In this case, we have also recorded the statement of the hotel officials and it has also come to light that even they failed to take due precautions.”
while assigning such work and therefore in future we might even book a case against the hotel official for negligence.”
Meanwhile, as the accused contractor has been absconding after the incident was reported, police has been making efforts to trace him.
