In its efforts to compensate for the loss of the kin of the sanitation workers who died in Delhi due to suffocation, the Delhi Government on Tuesday announced an ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakhs to each family. The Government also promised a job in civil defence to one family member of the three sanitation workers who died due to suffocation while cleaning a sewer in southeast Delhi's lajpat Nagar on August 6.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal who made the announcement after visiting the families of the deceased said that a high powered committee would examine the reason of these kinds of incidents and required action would be taken to avert them.
Reiterating that the kin of the deceased would be compensated with the respective amount, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia addressed the House on the issue as the first day of the Delhi Assembly's Monsoon Session began.
“The Government has announced Rs 10 lakh each to the kin of sanitation workers who had died while cleaning sewer. Moreover a job in a civil defense will also be provided to one of the kin's of the deceased,” Sisodia informed the house.
Water Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam, who was also present in the house, said that the Government is working on new parameters to clean sewer in the city, to ensure that no such incident takes place in future. "We are taking some concrete steps to end the manual cleaning of sewer in the city. Even if in some cases, there is a requirement of manual cleaning, all protective measures will be taken," Gautam said.
The Opposition protested and walked in the Well of the House over the issue while the two of them were marshaled out by the Speaker Ram Niwas Goel.