Noida: A 22-year-old security guard and a 40-year-old sanitation work contractor died of asphyxiation inside a sewage treatment plant (STP) tank at Eldeco housing society in Greater Noida’s Sector 150 early on Sunday. The guard, Akash Singh, jumped into the tank in an attempt to rescue Shashikant Sharma, who had stopped responding.Akash was from UP’s Firozabad, while Shashikant was a resident of Rajasthan’s Karoli.Police are examining whether adequate safety equipment, including protective gear and gas detection devices, had been provided to the workers, and are also looking into compliance with safety norms for maintenance work in confined sewage facilities.
CJP Jantar Mantar Protest Updates
After receiving information about the incident around 4am, a fire department team rushed to the spot and recovered both men from the tank. They were taken to a nearby hospital, where Akash died during the treatment and Shashikant was declared dead on arrival. A case has been registered at Knowledge Park police station.Noida chief fire officer Pradeep Kumar Choubey said the tank, around 40×40 ft, had no water in it but was filled with gases including methane and carbon dioxide.
Akash Singh
“A fire officer wore a breathing apparatus set, tied himself with a rope, and entered the STP with a torch. After going 15ft, he found Akash alive at the time and brought him out. The officer went in a second time and, roughly 30ft in, found Shashikant lying unconscious,” the CFO said. It took more than 50 minutes and 15 fire department personnel to extricate both victims, he added.Investigation officer Chetan Chaudhary said the society’s maintenance department had contracted a private company to clean the STP, which engaged contractor Shashikant. He arrived with three workers about a week earlier, with maintenance staff’s permission to carry out the cleaning. To finish the job quickly, they worked round the clock. He also said police are investigating on what grounds the society maintenance agency gave clearance to workers to clean the treatment plant at night.Around 3am on Sunday, Shashikant went in but did not come back after a while. Akash then covered his face with a handkerchief and went down but then lost consciousness.Greater Noida DCP Ravi Shankar Nim said an FIR has been registered against the builder, the maintenance head and the security head under Section 106(1) (death due to negligence) of BNS, along with relevant provisions of Manual Scavengers and Their Rehabilitation Act, 2013.
