Injured at work, BWSSB contract worker dies; kin poorly compensated

The two workers were washing a jetting machine at the BWSSB service centre in Sahakaranagar, North Bengaluru, when the accident occurred

Four months after two BWSSB contract workers were injured while at work, one of them died on Monday. Their families have received little or no compensation.

D Muniyappa and Anjanappa were hired by Navodaya Service Centre, a consultancy that provides manpower to the BWSSB.

On October 13, the men had gone to the BWSSB service centre in Sahakaranagar to wash a jetting machine ahead of Ayudha Puja. During the course of the work, one of them let go of the machine’s high-pressure nozzle. Both suffered injuries on the leg and ended up in hospital for about a month.

Muniyappa, who spent about Rs 10,000 for medical care, received the month’s pay — Rs 18,000. Though still in pain, he eventually returned to work.

Anjanappa suffered a fracture on the left leg, which worsened over time. Doctors advised amputation but it is not known what happened later. The news of his death came on Wednesday, a sanitary worker said.

Like many other colleagues, neither Muniyappa nor Anjanappa had ESI or provident fund facilities, the worker said. “Only some workers have received such facilities. We have been demanding them from the agency but to no avail,” he added.

Samuel Sathyaseelan, a social activist, said the contracting agency had paid Anjanappa about Rs 50,000 and promised him a job though his family had spent Rs 4 lakh on the treatment.

“Neither the agency nor the assistant executive engineer at the service centre informed the BWSSB about the accident. He worked as a sanitary worker for 20 years. The BWSSB must intervene and give him justice,” Sathyaseelan said.

Speaking to DH, BWSSB Chairman N Jayaram said the agency claimed to have footed Anjanappa’s hospital bill. “Anjanappa apparently went back to his hometown and died there. The cause of death is not clear. We will see if doctors had advised amputation and check if there was any negligence in helping him,” he added.

Jayaram acknowledged that though the workers weren’t cleaning a manhole, they were still at work.

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