High Court Orders Investigation After Sanitation Worker Falls into Drainage Canal in Thiruvananthapuram
The High Court has taken action after a sanitation worker named N Joy fell into a drainage canal at Thampanoor Central Railway Station in Thiruvananthapuram. The court has asked the Railways, Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, and the District Collector to submit a report on the accident within ten days.
The amicus curiae, a legal advisor, will visit the site at Amaiyhanchan Thot and submit a report. The High Court has directed that the amicus curiae be provided with a railway travel facility and will receive Rs 1.5 lakh from the Railways, the Corporation, and the government for the investigation.
The High Court will review the petition on July 26. The court emphasized that this is not the time to blame anyone but to find solutions to prevent such accidents in the future. The court also questioned who is responsible for removing garbage from the railway land and whether the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation can act on railway land without permission.
The court has asked the Railways to provide an affidavit on how it will remove garbage from major stations in the state. Additionally, the government has been asked to explain the dumping of waste in Akkulam lake and how waste removed by contractors is disposed of.
Notably, the body of the worker, N Joy, aged 42, was found on Monday at a canal stretch behind the Sree Chitra Home at Thakarapparambu. Two corporation sanitation workers, Rajeev and Manoj, confirmed the identity of the body. Joy had disappeared on July 13 amid heavy rains while cleaning the drainage canal at Amayazhinchan Thodu and was swept into the canal that runs below the tracks of the platform at the station.
