The deceased trio, who hail from Bhayander, were engaged in jobs such as cleaning of sewerage treatment plants and maintenance of residential societies.
"It was around 3pm on Thursday afternoon when Amit came home after winding up his routine sweeping and housekeeping job at several buildings of Mira-Bhayander. He later said he had to leave for another assignment of cleaning a septic tank at a residential building in Thane's Dhokali area. Who knew we would never see him again," said Santosh Devi (40), mother of Amit Pivhal (20), who breathed his last along with two other men Aman Bhadad (21), and Ajay Bumbak (24) while cleaning the septic tanks at Pride Presidency Luxuria building in Thane, on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday.
The deceased trio, who hail from Bhayander, were engaged in jobs such as cleaning of sewerage treatment plants and maintenance of residential societies.
Pivhal, the youngest of the deceased, was aggressive in terms of earning money. He wanted financial independence and wanted to support his parents. "Amit had quit school quite early. Since we are poor, he was steadfast about earning money. We never forced him to do such petty jobs, but all he had in mind was a better future for his family. He never sat idle at home; he was always working. He wanted to support us; instead, he left behind tears," his mother added.
Also Read: Mumbai: Three youth choke to death while cleaning septic tank
Bhadad, whose son will turn two in May lived with his parents, wife, and three siblings in a small hut. Bhadad's distant relative Raghuvir Tiwari (50), said, "We are daily wage earners with a small income. We understand the level of risk a manual scavenger faces while he is down cleaning all sorts of filth and dirt untouched for a year. Aman was working like everyone else to ensure his family gets a regular supply of food. Aman was unhappy with his job and was looking for other alternatives, but his situation made him helpless,"
Bumbak who had brought his newly-married wife to the city from his hometown in Haryana only a month ago, lived with his parents and a brother.
Also Read: Have lost my son, what to expect now: Father of deceased worker
"We are not manual scavengers by choice; extreme poverty led us on into it. We don't know what amount will be granted as compensation. It is our loss and we don't know whom to hold responsible and whom to question. The reason why teenagers and youth take up such odd jobs is because there is a lack of employment opportunities. Even lakhs of rupees cannot make up for the loss of a family member," Bumbak's relative said.
Chairman of All India Safai Karmachari Parishad Balvir Vaid claimed that authorities of Pride Presidency Luxuria building should take responsibility and the people concerned should be named in the FIR. "Firstly, no safety equipment were given to the labourers and no compensation has been offered so far. The building management, in order to cut down on their expenses hired a private contractor. We shall not claim the bodies of the men unless a proper police investigation is undertaken," Vaid said.
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