'Risked lives, lived in filth for two days'; Govt should reward rescue workers of Amayizhanjan canal

A cloud of sadness loomed over the capital city on Monday after rescue workers found the body of missing worker Joy in the garbage infiltrated Amayizhanjan canal. It took 48 hours and some laborious work from officials, who all risked their lives, to bring Joy back to life but Alas, the worst happened.

Joy falling into the knee-deep water canal and going missing is no accident. It is the failure of the bureaucratic systems and we residents of the capital city are also culpable for this incident.

The poor young man from a family fighting penury came to do this gut-churning work in the canal, only to take his mere daily pay of Rs 1500 to make ends meet. The man had to pay his life for the people in the capital city to be made aware of the menace of garbage plaguing the city. These are wastes thrown by city dwellers in public spaces that end up in the city's drains, open drains, streams and backwaters.

During the rescue operations for Joy, the people witnessed the most despicable and ridiculous attempts by the Municipal Corporation, the Railways and the Irrigation Department to shirk their responsibilities by mudslinging each other.

The Corporation blamed railways for not clearing the canal piled with garbage for years. Railway officials came back with a retort giving more fodder for news channels. This ignominious war of words happened at a time when the rescue officials were moving beyond their safety limits to bring back the missing worker. The officials could have waited for at least the rescue operation to end, to start their blame game.

Despite the presence of the Sanitation Mission and Haritha Karma Sena, waste collection and treatment is only partially done in the city. The archaic system followed and the lackadaisical approach from bureaucrats paved the way for this disaster. Not just this case, this attitude is slowly tormenting the living structure of people in the capital city.

Municipalities and local departments should devise effective plans for waste collection and disposal. Municipal waste should be treated scientifically by setting up sewage treatment plants. This disaster should be an eye opener to re-launch the suspended 'Operation Anantha' and free the city from the waterlog. Apart from compensation to Joy's family, steps should also be taken to reward the officials who delved into a nauseating canal for two days in the most difficult and exhausting situation.