New Delhi, Apr 24 (PTI): The NHRC on Friday said it has issued a notice to the municipal and police authorities and the district magistrate of Nanded over reports that recently four children drowned in a 15-foot-deep pit near a drain work site in the Islampura area of the district in Maharashtra.
In a statement, it said that reportedly, the drain is being constructed by a local civic body and wastewater had accumulated in the nearby pit.
The National Human Rights Commission has taken suo motu cognisance of a media report that on April 16, four children drowned in a 15-foot-deep pit near a drain work site in the Islampura area of Nanded district, it said.
The commission observed that the content of the news report raises a serious issue of violation of human rights of the victims. Therefore, it has issued notices to the commissioner, Nanded Waghala City Municipal Corporation, the district magistrate and the superintendent of police of Nanded, seeking a detailed report on it within two weeks.
It is expected to include the status of health and compensation, if any, paid to the next of kin of the deceased, the rights panel said.
According to the media report, carried on April 17, the children were playing near the site and entered the water without anticipating its depth. Upon hearing their cries, local residents and the police reportedly reached the spot and attempted to rescue them. However, the children could not be saved, it said.
In a separate statement, the NHRC said it has taken suo motu cognisance of a media report that a 12-year-old boy died and more than 100 others fell ill allegedly after consuming stale food at the hostel of the Kakabandh Ashram School in the Mayurbhanj district of Odisha on April 14.
Reportedly, the victim was a Class V student of a school run by the ST and SC Welfare Department of the state government, it said.
The commission has observed that the content of the news report, if true, raises serious issues of human rights violations of the victims.
Therefore, it has issued notices to the chief secretary of Odisha and the Superintendent of Police, Mayurbhanj, seeking a detailed report on it in two weeks. It is expected to include the status of the investigation as well as the health of the victim students.
According to the media report, carried on April 15, the condition of about 67 students was serious and they were shifted to the Baripada Medical College and Hospital, while 41 others were admitted to a community health centre, the statement said.
In another statement, the NHRC said it has taken suo motu cognisance of a media report that two sanitation workers died and another allegedly fell after inhaling poisonous gases while cleaning a sewer line at Ambedkar Chowk of Firozpur Jhirka area in the Nuh district of Haryana on April 15.
Reportedly, the contractor engaged by the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) of the state government had deployed three workers for cleaning the sewer line “without any safety gear,” the statement said.
Therefore, it issued notices to the Nuh municipal commissioner and the superintendent of police, seeking a detailed report on it in two weeks. The report is expected to include the status of the investigation, health of the injured and compensation to him as well as the next of kin of the deceased workers, it said. PTI KND MNK MNK
(This story is published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. No editing has been done in the headline or the body by ABP Live.)
