Lodhran Wasa MD suspended, booked after two workers die in sewer line

BAHAWALPUR: The Punjab housing secretary has suspended the managing director of Lodhran Wasa and ordered legal and departmental action after two men died while cleaning an underground sewer line at Jajalpur Mor.

The incident took place on Tuesday night when Wasa employee Wasim Masih and a private helper, Ikram Dogar, went down into the sewer line for cleaning and lost consciousness. Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Ashraf reached the site after being informed and shifted both men to DHQ Hospital, Lodhran, where they were declared dead.

The Punjab housing secretary took notice of the deaths and directed immediate action against the officials concerned. Police subsequently registered a case against three Wasa officials, including the managing director, while departmental proceedings were also launched.

City Lodhran police registered the first information report under Section 322 of the Pakistan Penal Code on the complaint of Salim Masih, father of the deceased worker Wasim Masih. The FIR names Wasa Managing Director Javed Akhtar, Site In-charge Roshan Rehan and Supervisor Ali Raza. The managing director had been suspended from service and proceedings under the Peeda Act had been initiated against all three officials.

The two workers had entered the main sewer line without proper safety gear and equipment. The deputy commissioner also ordered an inquiry into the incident and the alleged negligence of Wasa officials. None of the suspects had been arrested till the filing of the original report.

Forest fire damages eight acres

In a separate incident, a fire late on Tuesday night damaged around eight acres of forest land in the Meeranpur forest area near Jallah Arian on Multan Road.

Rescue 1122 Media Coordinator Muhammad Safdar said firefighting teams and ambulances were sent immediately after an emergency call received after Maghrib prayers. He said rescuers found the blaze spreading at two points in the forest and, with the assistance of forest department staff, fought the fire for more than two hours before bringing it under control.

By that time, however, large-scale damage had already been caused to the forest area, which was said to be worth millions of rupees. The exact cause of the blaze could not be established, though officials suspect dry vegetation may have caught fire after a passerby threw a lit cigarette. The forest department had yet to issue an official statement on the cause.

Man shot dead near Channigoth Bypass

Also on Wednesday, a man was allegedly shot dead at his home in Basti Balochan, Mauza Arian, near Channigoth Bypass.

Police said Ali Akbar had an old enmity with Hamza, a resident of the same village. The suspect allegedly entered Akbar’s house while he was asleep, opened fire and fled. The injured man was taken to the Rural Health Centre in Channigoth, where he died of his injuries.

Channigoth police reached the scene, shifted the body for postmortem examination and registered a case against the suspect, who remained at large at the time of the report.