The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has said the contractor responsible for work at the Sola sewage treatment plant will pay Rs 30 lakh each to the families of two workers who died in an incident at the facility and cover the education costs of their young children. Police are investigating whether safety equipment was provided and used properly during the work.
The compensation decision was disclosed by the chairperson of the AMC Standing Committee after a committee meeting. The contractor had earlier been asked to provide Rs 25 lakh to each family, but the proposed assistance has now been raised to Rs 30 lakh per family. The contractor has also accepted responsibility for paying the full education expenses of the children in both households, according to the report.
The incident occurred while work was being carried out at the Sola STP. The identities of the deceased workers and the precise circumstances of the accident were not stated in the supplied report. The police inquiry is examining who was responsible for the work and whether the required safety arrangements were in place.
The Standing Committee chairperson said a preliminary assessment indicated that the contractor remained responsible for the work until it was completed. However, the chairperson also said that final responsibility would be established only after the police investigation is completed. This leaves the question of contractual and operational accountability open while the inquiry proceeds.
Investigators are expected to examine whether workers had been supplied with the necessary protective equipment and, if so, whether it was used correctly. The report does not specify the type of equipment involved, the nature of the work under way or the immediate cause of the deaths. Those details are expected to be clarified through the investigation.
The AMC has separately issued a notice requiring the contractor to pay a penalty of Rs 50 lakh in connection with the accident. The penalty is in addition to the financial assistance promised to the families and the commitment to fund the children’s education. The report does not state whether the penalty has already been paid or whether further municipal action is under consideration.
The incident brings worker safety within municipal sewage infrastructure under scrutiny. Sewage treatment plants involve specialised operations and contracted work, but the supplied report does not establish whether any safety protocol was breached at Sola. That determination, along with the allocation of responsibility, remains subject to the police inquiry.
The immediate next steps are the police investigation into responsibility and safety equipment, along with the contractor’s payment of compensation and the education support promised to the two families. The municipal penalty notice will also determine the contractor’s financial liability to the corporation.
