Deceased labourer’s kin seek job, fiscal aid

Family members of labourer Deepak, who was buried under a mound of soil during the digging work for a sewerage line in Sector 14 Part 2 in Hisar town has been sitting on dharna for the last four days. They are today demanding a government job for a member of the family and a financial aid of Rs 25 lakh. They said that they would not lift the dharna till their demands are fulfilled.

Deepak and his friend Ajeet were engaged as labourers for the work by the Haryana Shahri Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP). Though the police have registered a case of causing death due to negligence against five persons, including the contractor, the family said that it had no other source of income. A relative, Jagbir Kumar, said that they had raised the demands with the district administration.

The incident had occured on October 28 when Deepak was inside the sewerage line. When he was buried under the mound of soil, other labourers tried to help and a JCB was also put into service to clear the debris. But, the process took about 30 minutes. Deepak was rushed to the Civil Hospital, where the doctors declared him dead. Deepak, a resident of Shiv Nagar, is survived by his wife and a two-year-old son. The family members got support from social organisations at the dharna site.