3 labourers die after falling inside drain at Kolkata Leather Complex

Kolkata: Three labourers died after falling inside a drain while clearing a manhole at Kolkata Leather Complex in Bantala area in the eastern suburbs of the city on Sunday, police said.

One of the labourers tripped and fell into the 20-feet-deep drain while clearing the manhole clogged with effluents from the leather units in the area while two others tried to save him but also fell inside the drain, a police officer said.

Personnel of the disaster management force and fire brigade retrieved the three bodies after an hour-long search, he said.

The three deceased were identified as Farzan Sheikh, Hasi Sheikh and Suman Sardar.

It was not immediately known whether the three were wearing masks while working in the manhole.

Municipal Affairs Minister Firhad Hakim visited the spot and termed the deaths as unfortunate and tragic.

He said the state government would launch a probe to find out those responsible for the tragedy.

"We will inquire whether the agency involved in the clean-up and the contractor followed all necessary guidelines and take action against those responsible," he said.

The minister said that the state will provide compensation to the next of kin of the deceased.

In a dig at the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh over the deaths of pilgrims in Maha Kumbh Mela, Hakim said, "This is not UP.

We always stand by the people and don't leave them in the lurch." BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari said Hakim should first explain why high-rises collapsed in Garden Reach area causing deaths in the past and what measures were adopted to prevent the recurrence of such disasters.

"The deaths of three labourers also point to the flouting of standard operating procedures to clean up manholes in the city and its outskirts," Adhikari, the leader of the opposition in the state assembly, said.

A Kolkata Municipal Corporation official said the three labourers were not part of the corporation's team.

"They were part of the leather complex's management team," he said.