New Delhi: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said in a statement issued Friday that it has taken up a media report about the asphyxiation deaths of two workers trapped in an underground sewage pumping station in Surendranagar district, Gujarat, on 21 January, 2025.
The two contractual workers, employed by the Patdi Municipal Corporation, reportedly entered the pumping station without any safety gear, it said.
In its October 2023 judgment in Dr. Balram Singh vs Union of India (WP(C) No. 324 of 2020), the Supreme Court emphasized the responsibility of local authorities and agencies to employ modern technology for cleaning sewers and prioritize worker safety, the statement added.
The NHRC, it said, has consistently advocated for a ban on hazardous cleaning activities without proper safety equipment and has promoted the use of robotic technology. In 2021, the NHRC issued an advisory to the Union, state governments and local authorities for the protection of human rights of persons engaged in hazardous cleaning, aiming to eradicate such practices.
The NHRC has issued notices to the chief secretary and the director general of police, Gujarat, demanding a detailed report within two weeks. The report must include the status of the investigation, details of compensation provided to the families, and an account of similar incidents in the state.
The NHRC highlighted several recent incidents in Gujarat where workers died due to inadequate safety measures, including the deaths of four migrant workers in Bharuch district in December 2024 from toxic gas exposure in a distillation unit.