RAHIM YAR KHAN: Locals staged a protest against the administration as a man died from suffocation in a sewage well in an attempt to save his father, who had fallen into it, but was later rescued by a Rescue 1122 team on Friday.

As per Rescue 1122 officials, sewage overflowed and entered the house of Shamshad, a resident of Gulshan Umar locality near Uni-Lever Bridge.

When Shamshad went to check the sewage well outside his house, he lost his balance and fell into the well.

On knowing about the incident, Samshad’s son Dilshad immediately went down the sewage well to rescue his father but could not return to the surface.

Three MC staffers suspended from service, probe launched

On being called by locals, a team of Rescue 1122 reached the spot and rescued Shamshad alive, but Dilshad was found dead in the sewage well due to suffocation.

Later, the area residents gathered at Uni-Lever Bridge and staged a protest against the Municipal Committee (MC) for not covering and cleaning the sewage well.

The protesters, chanting slogans against the MC administration, blocked the bridge for traffic.

The protesters were later also joined by the traders on the call of the local Anjuman-i-Tajraan.

Addressing the protesters, traders’ leader Azman Asghar Chaudhry said that it was the second incident in which a precious human life was lost due to the negligence of the MC administration, as a child had earlier died after falling into an open manhole on the Airport Road.

He said that the covers of many manholes were missing for a long time in the locality, but nobody bothered to take notice despite complaints filed by locals.

He held Additional Deputy Commissioner General (ADCG) Irfan Anwer, who is also MC administrator, responsible for the incident, saying he failed to ensure that manholes were covered.

He demanded the deputy commissioner to take action against the ADCG.

During the protest, a neighbour of Shamshad said a disposal pump near the sewage well was lying dysfunctional for the last seven days, while the operator was getting fuel to operate it regularly.

A government employee, seeking anonymity, said that for the last two days the entire sanitation staff of the MC was working with a private contractor of Chief Minister’s Suthra Punjab Programme, and none of the staffers was performing their routine duties.

ADCG Irfan Anwar did not take the call made by this scribe for his version.

Meanwhile, the DC has constituted a committee to probe the man’s death in sewage well.

The committee comprises the ADCG (convener), assistant commissioner, municipal officer (I&S) MC and a representative of the district emergency officer (DEO), Rescue 1122, as its members.

Later, the municipal officer (I&S) suspended from service three MC employees, clerk Jam Irfan, who is in charge of Union Council 38/I, Zubair Niaz Kanjoo, Sanitary Inspector and Ebadur Rehman, in charge of sanitation, on charges of inefficiency and misconduct, under the Punjab Employees Efficiency Discipline and Accountability (Peeda) Act 2006.

Published in Dawn, March 22nd, 2025