Two months on, families of sewer victims yet to get relief as Delhi govt. authorities pass the buck

More than two months after a sweeper and a security guard died after inhaling toxic gases inside a sewer at a Delhi Development Authority (DDA) residential colony in west Delhi’s Mundka, their families are still awaiting compensation, finding it hard to make ends meet in the absence of their sole breadwinners.

While one of the victim, Ashok Kumar, 30, worked as a security guard at the compound, the other, Rohit Chandiliya, 32, was a sweeper in the area. On September 9, when Rohit went inside the sewer to clean a blockage, he fell unconsciousness after inhaling toxic gases. The police had said that after seeing Rohit stuck inside the sewer, Ashok quickly went in to rescue him but he too became unconscious. Families of the deceased had alleged that the duo were asked to clean the sewer by a local pradhan, who had later denied giving permission for the same.

Three days after the incident on September 12, the Delhi High Court took suo motu cognisance of the incident. Since then, six hearings have taken place until November 15, including one where the DDA had put the onus on the Delhi government to pay the compensation.

However last week, the court had pulled up the DDA over non-compliance of its earlier order, directing the authority to pay a compensation of ₹10 lakh to the kin of the deceased. “My head hangs in shame on the complete unsympathetic attitude of the DDA towards the family of the deceased,” Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma stated.

Meanwhile, the court had noted that the Delhi government, as part of its separate compensation scheme formed in 2020, has granted ₹1 lakh, and was said to disburse the remaining amount of ₹9 lakh within 15 days.

A special leave petition (SLP) has also been filed before a Supreme Court challenging the October 6 order directing the DDA to pay the compensation amount and provide jobs to the kin of the victims on compassionate grounds. The plea will be heard in the coming days.

Struggling to sustain

Amid the several court hearings, families of Ashok and Rohit lament the loss of their loved ones, blaming the “authorities” for passing the buck, making it hard for them to sustain their livelihoods.

Pinky Kumar, wife of Rohit, who lives with her four-year-old son in a one-room house in Bakkarwala village, told Today News 24 that they have not been contacted by any official so far regarding the remaining compensation and said that it is becoming difficult to pay for her son’s school fees and run their household.

“We only received ₹1 lakh a few days after my husband’s death. I have exhausted all my savings. The DDA gave me a job as a sweeper at a residential society here where I earn around ₹15,000 a month. Rohit was the sole breadwinner of our family and with him not being there, I have lost a source of both emotional and financial support… why was he sent inside the sewer in the first place when he was a sweeper,” Pinky asked.

She added that Rohit had only joined the job a month before the incident as he was earlier working as a peon at a bank and wanted to switch jobs in order to earn a better salary.

“Like everyday, on the day of the incident, Rohit had come home around afternoon to have lunch. He told me that he didn’t have a lot of work in the morning but soon after, he received a call from work and rushed away… I didn’t know that it would be the last time I’ll see him,” the wife said.

Meanwhile, Ashok’s cousin brother, Ashish, said that Ashok’s wife and mother have still not been able to come to terms with the loss and that no amount of compensation will bring back their kin. Ashok lived with his wife and two sons.

Ashish said, “He only went inside the sewer in a bid to rescue Rohit. His children do not understand a lot about their father’s absence as they are too young but his wife and mother are broken beyond repair. Apart from the ₹1 lakh, they have not received a single penny by the government so far… authorities are blaming each other in the court and leaving us in misery”.

Ashish said that Ashok’s wife has been looking for a job but has not been successful so far.

“Ashok’s mother is 70-year-old and can barely move… all the family’s burden has fallen upon his wife. I don’t know how she will manage it all. Some of our relatives have been helping them financially for the time being,” he said.

Meanwhile, a Delhi government official said that as part of their compensation scheme, they will disburse the remaining ₹9 lakh to the families in due course of time.