Five spinning mill workers die after consuming water from cooler

Hoshiarpur, June 23 (UNI) Five mill workers of a spinning mill died after allegedly consuming water from a water-cooler in the mill premises here last night.

The deceased were identified as Rakesh Kumar (32), Uttam Parsad (30), Shah Lal (40), Munna (25) and Sanjay Mehto (28), all from Bihar.

These workers of Mahavir Spinning Mill were working in the night shift when Shah Lal fetched the drinking water from the cooler to the shift room and all of them consumed it.

Soon after consuming water, their condition became serious and were shifted to the ESI Hospital located just opposite the mill premises.

Later they were referred to local Civil Hospital where the doctor emergency duty declared them brought dead.

Their bodies were sent for post mortem examination. The SMO of the Civil Hospital, Dr Gurdev Singh, said that a board of doctors had been constituted to get the postmortem conducted under the vigil of videography.

Samples of drinking water have been collected and were being sent to the Government Chemical Laboratory, Patiala for testing.

SP (H) Opinderjit Singh Ghuman said that proceedings under section 174 of the CrPC had been done so far.

The Chief Executive of the Mahavir Spinning Mill, Mr I M J S Sidhu, said that the incident was most unfortunate. He said that due compensation under the Labour Law would be given to the kin of the deceased.

Meanwhile, hundreds of mill workers led by local leaders assembled in the local Civil Hospital where the dead bodies were being kept for postmortem. These leaders were demanding the registration of a case against the mill management for its alleged negligence in providing medical aid to the deceased.

The district administration has deployed heavy police force in the Civil Hospital to meet with any eventuality.

UNI