Two weeks on, JMC yet to release sewer death probe report

Jaipur: Two weeks after two sanitation workers died while cleaning a sewer chamber in Jaipur’s Kardhani area, the Jaipur Municipal Corporation (JMC) is yet to make public the inquiry report into the incident, raising questions over transparency, accountability and possible administrative negligence.

The incident occurred on April 17 under the Jhotwara zone, when labourers Ajay and Rambabu allegedly inhaled toxic gas while cleaning a sewer chamber and died on the spot.

Following the incident, JMC on April 18 cancelled the contract of M/s Shekhawat Construction Company, which had been awarded a sewer-cleaning tender worth Rs 21.51 lakh on March 18 for work valid till Dec 17. On the same day, the civic body formed a six-member inquiry committee and directed it to submit its report within seven days, by April 25.

However, despite the deadline having passed, the report has not been released. Officials included in the committee — additional commissioner II Praveen Kumar, health deputy commissioner Omprakash Thanvi, Jhotwara zone deputy commissioner Manisha Yadav, superintending engineer (sewer) Charan Singh Meena, superintending Engineer Dinesh Chand Gupta and executive engineer Gopal Moond — have not clarified when the findings will be made public.

JMC Commissioner Om Kasera said action had already been initiated. “We cancelled the company’s tender and distributed the remaining work order amount among the families of the deceased,” he said.

Kasera added that fresh safety protocols were issued after the incident. Sewer cleaning, he said, would now be carried out through machines wherever possible. If manual entry becomes unavoidable, adjacent chambers would first be opened to release toxic gases. Workers would also be required to wear safety gear, chambers would be tested before entry, and the process would be video-recorded before permission is granted.

On fixing responsibility, Kasera said the contractor sent workers into the sewer without informing officials. “If officials were unaware, how can they be held responsible?” he said.

However, questions persist over why the inquiry report remains undisclosed and why the company was not blacklisted despite cancellation of its contract. The firm is reportedly still executing work in JMC’s Malviya Nagar zone.

The composition of the inquiry committee has also drawn scrutiny, as all six members are officials linked to the same administrative system responsible for supervising sewer-cleaning operations.