Gautam, Sisodia to meet families of deceased sanitation workers today

Delhi Water Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam, along with Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and the CEO of Delhi Jal Board, will visit the families of the three sanitation workers who died on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the Delhi government has ordered an inquiry into the incident where the three men died of asphyxiation inside a manhole in Lajpat Nagar.

"I am leaving to meet the families of the deceased along with the Deputy CM, CEO of DJB and DM of Kalyanpuri and Khichripuri," Gautam had said earlier in the day.

However, due to heavy rains, the team could not reach on Monday and planned the visit for Tuesday.

The government assured that it will look into the case and take all possible action against the people responsible. "I am very sad to know that three workers expired during cleaning of a sewer at Lajpat Nagar. I have set up an inquiry," Gautam said.

A source in the government said that the Water department is likely to monitor every small work taken up by labours, as there are various cases where unregistered people work. "It is learnt that the workers were neither employees of DJB nor authorised by DJB," the source said.

Gautam had earlier told Millennium Post that the Department will soon not allow any person not authorised by DJB to work on water-related issues.

He also asked citizens not to employee plumbers or sewage workers personally, as if accidents occur such workers could get impacted.

Gautam, who is formulating a new water policy, revealed that his department will make it mandatory that only DJB workers will be allowed for plumbing works as he noted that due to unauthorised workers the DJB fails to record certain issues.

The minister also noted that people only approach DJB when a big fault occurs.

However, as there is no record of smaller faults, the Board faces a lot of trouble to settle them.