Representative image of a canal.
Credit: DH Photo
Thiruvananthapuram: The body of a sanitation worker, who drowned in the garbage filled canal in Thiruvananthapuram city on Saturday, was recovered by Monday morning, nearly 48 hours after he went missing.
Joy, a native of Marayamuttom on the suburbs of Thiruvananthapuram, went missing in the canal by around 11 am on Saturday. He was involved in cleaning the 'Aamaizhanjan' canal's stretch at the Thiruvananthapuram Central railway station. Joy's body was spotted at the canal's Thakaraparambu stretch, around one kilometre away from the spot where he went missing.
The incident has put the CPM-ruled Thiurvananthapuram city corporation as well as the CPM government in Kerala on the defensive over allegations of lapses in garbage management. The government and city corporation are putting the blame on the railways by citing that clogged portion of the tunnel stretch of the canal where the mishap occurred was railway's property. The Kerala High Court has appointed an amicus curiae to look into the matter.
Rescue personnel were carrying out searches at the tunnel portion near the railway station premises from Saturday. On Monday naval divers also joined the search operation. In the meantime local people spotted the body stuck in the garbage in the canal at Thakaraparambu area. By then, the body had already started decomposing.
The body was later taken to his house and funeral was performed by afternoon. Joy, who is unmarried, leaves behind mother Melhi, one brother and two sisters.
Local self government minister M B Rajesh and city mayor Arya Rajendran said that it was the responsibility of the railway to regularly clean the portion of the canal that passes through the railway station premises. They also criticised that the railway authorities did not respond properly to repeated letters by the city corporation.
The mayor also said that it was the responsibility of the railways to ensure the safety of cleaning staff.
Congress and the BJP have alleged that the lapses on the part of the government in ensuring proper garbage treatment had led to the mishap.