MUZAFFARGARH: Two sanitary workers were asphyxiated while working without proper safety gear in a manhole on Tuesday night in Rohilanwali area, some 35 kilometers away f rom the city area.

Reports said district council chief officer Rana Mahboob ordered Rab Nawaz and Riaz Ahmad to clean the manhole at night. They were suffocated to death.

When the rescue staff arrived at the scene, the people present there said a TMA employees was cleaning the gutter about 20 feet deep in the manhole when he fainted. Another employees went downstairs to help his colleague who also fainted.Rescue workers filled two oxygen cylinders into the gutter, removed the cover of all nearby manholes and used a pedestal fan over the manhole to allow fresh air to reach the unconscious personnel but to no avail.

Later, the families of the deceased placed the bodies on the road and staged a protest and held chief officer Rana Mahboob and AC Muzaffargarh Tehsil Jamil Haider Shah responsible for the deaths.

DC Ali Annan Qamar sent ADCR Shah Rukh Khan for a dialogue with the protesters who refused to talk to him. Thereafter, Pakistan Tehreek-iInsaf MPA Aon Dogar reached there and assured them of registration of case against the responsible.

Later, the Muzaffargarh DC gavefinancial assistance to families of the deceased workers and appointed Rab Nawaz`s son and Riaz`s Ahmed`s wife as workers under 17 A in scale 1.

OnWednesdayevening,Rohilanwal police registered a case against the chief of ficer under section 322 of PPC.

Further investigation is under way.

VISIT: Additional IG south Punjab Dr Ehsan Sadig visited Layyah and Muzaf fargarh districts on Wednesday and held a meeting to review security arrangements regarding the by-elections.

RPO Muhammad Saleem, AIG Discipline Imran Shaukat, DPO Layyah Nida Umer Chatta and other officers attended the meeting. The additional IG inaugurated the command and control centre in L ayyah.