Three labourers died aft♉er 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 lab꧟ourꦏers 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 t🦂hree bodies after an hour-long se🎉arch, he said.
The th꧃ree deceased were identified as Farzan Sheikh, Hasi Sheikh and Sum⛄an Sardar.
It was not immediately k🍎nown whether the three were wearing masks while work𓆉ing in the manhole.
Municipal Affairs Minister Firhad Hakim visited the spot an♕d termed the deaths as unfortunate and tragic.
He said the state g꧟overnment 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 a💜ction against those reꦓsponsible," he said.
The minister said that the state will provide co𒁃mpensation 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 shoul𝓀d first explain why high-rises collapsed in Garden Reach area causing deaths in the past and wha✤t 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," Adhika��ri, the leader of the oppositio🔴n in the state assembly, said.
A Kolkata Municipal Corporation official said the three labourers were not part of the corp✅oration's teꦉam.
"They were part🎀 of the leather complex's management✤ team," he said.
