PMC staffer’s body found in water treatment plant

Civic body rules out water contamination

The body of a Class IV employee of Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) was found in the Parvati water treatment plant early on Monday.

According to the police, Ganesh B Pasalkar (44), a resident of Guruwar Peth, was on his second shift at the treatment plant on Sunday as another staffer did not turn up for work. His colleagues found his body in the ninth filter of the plant when they were checking the valves.

Senior inspector Vijaykumar Gaikwad of Dattawadi police station said they spoken to the relatives and after the post-mortem report came in, it appeared to be a case of suicide. "We have registered a case of accidental death," said Gaikwad.

Assistant inspector P N Wakchaure said, "Every tank in the filtering plant has a safety railing. The possibility of a person accidentally falling into the tank is remote. Prima facie, it is a suicide case but we are not denying possibility of it being an accident."

Fire brigade station officer Prabhakar Umratkar said, "The body was stuck in one of the many tanks in the filtering section. The staff stopped the flow of the water from the canal and we fished the body out."

The civic administration, meanwhile, said they took immediate measures and stopped water flow from that section. "We have several filters and the valve of the said filter was closed immediately. There is no possibility of water contamination," said Shriniwas Kandul, superintendent engineer, electical water and drainage.

Kandul said Pasalkar was working with the PMC since 1998 and was promoted only in 2009. "On Sunday, he finished his duty at 2 pm, but according to other employees, he asked for overtime and continued to work in the second shift, which was to end at 10 pm. His colleagues said they last saw him around 8.30 pm,'' said Kandul.

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