Families of two workers who died after inhaling toxic gas inside a stormwater drain in Chennai’s Kodungaiyur held a sit-in protest at Government Stanley Hospital on Tuesday, refusing to receive the bodies until a minister met them and addressed their demands.
About 20 relatives of Naveen Kumar, 34, and Asmath Basha, 38, gathered outside the hospital mortuary and accused the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) of failing to ensure the safety of workers carrying out maintenance inside civic infrastructure. The two men died on Monday evening while repairing an electric motor inside a 15-foot-deep stormwater drain on Thendral Nagar 3rd Street.
The workers had been engaged by a private firm contracted by the GCC. Family members said no corporation officer had visited them or explained what had happened. “Lives have been lost, but there is nobody to ask us what happened. Not even one corporation officer has come here. We want the minister to come. We will sit here until then, and we will not take the bodies,” they said, according to the report.
The protest also highlighted the financial vulnerability of the families. Naveen, who was from West Tambaram, supported his family through daily-wage work. His wife, Preethi, was at the hospital with their one-year-old daughter and said she had not yet seen her husband’s face after his death. The family sought a job for her.
Around noon, Tamil Nadu Housing Board chairman V Siva met the protesters and handed over a cheque of ₹30 lakh each to the families. The report did not specify whether the compensation was part of a wider relief package or whether any further employment or welfare assistance had been approved.
Asmath was from Vellore district. The deaths occurred during work inside a confined underground space, where the presence of toxic gas created a life-threatening condition for the workers. The incident has placed attention on the safety arrangements required when private contractors undertake repairs in stormwater drains and other municipal infrastructure.
The families’ protest also drew political criticism. I Paranthamen of the DMK questioned the absence of ministers and officials, asking why the two ministers based in Chennai had not issued a statement or visited the families.
The immediate demands from the relatives were a ministerial meeting, an explanation of the circumstances leading to the deaths and support for the affected families. The available report does not state whether the GCC or the private contractor announced an inquiry, identified the safety procedures followed at the site or disclosed the next steps after the compensation was handed over.
