Thiruvananthapuram: The search and rescue operation to find the sanitation worker, who was swept away while cleaning the Amayizhanchan canal here, was resumed on Sunday morning. A 30-member NDRF team is leading the operation which has already completed 26 hours. A navy team from Kochi will also join the efforts, said Revenue and Housing Minister K Rajan.

N Joy, a contract labourer from Marayamuttom, disappeared in the water while clearing a garbage pile at the Thampanoor Central Railway station premises, in the heart of the city. A robotic camera had captured visuals suggesting the presence of human remains in the canal. However, the scuba diving team involved in the rescue operation confirmed that no human remains were found at the site shown in the visuals captured by the robotic camera.

The 15-member scuba team has already inspected around 60 metres in the tunnel. The remaining 57 metres needs to be inspected now, Thiruvananthapuram District Collector Geromic George said. At some junctions, the waste has solidified making it difficult for divers to navigate further. The sub-tunnels within the tunnel are also delaying rescue efforts. They can navigate only through water.

Joy was swept away while he was under a 140-metre-long canal tunnel which runs under the tracks at the railway station. Three temporary workers, including Joy, were employed by a contractor who had bagged the contract from the Railways to clean the part of the canal that falls within its territory. When the water flow increased due to heavy rain, Joy was caught by the currents. Although the guest workers, who were standing on the canal banks, threw a rope to him, Joy could not grasp it. The work was being carried out without any safety precautions. Joy is the son of the late Neshamani and Melhi.

NDRF, Bandicoot robot aid rescue op
The team led by NDRF are currently attempting rescue efforts through a manhole inside the Thiruvananthapuram Central railway station. The manhole is situated between two platforms. Fire department officials, police, city corporation workers and others, including the city mayor, are at the site, where efforts were on even at midnight to clear the accumulated plastic waste.

Bandicoot robots have also been deployed to clean drainage lines. Robots were brought in on Saturday night after searches by the scuba diving team on the other bank of the tunnel beneath the railway station platform were in vain. Two robots from Gen Robotics, a company in Thiruvananthapuram Technopark, have been deployed to aid the search.

Searches were also conducted by opening manholes on the railway platforms. Huge piles of garbage were removed using 'Bandicoot,' a robot created by the tech startup Gen Robotics for the Kerala Water Authority.

Plastic waste hinders efforts
The scuba diving team could only begin their search inside the garbage-filled canal after removing huge loads of plastic and other waste, which slowed down the rescue efforts. Grills fixed along the canal to prevent waste dumping were torn down to allow JCBs to remove the waste. Despite their efforts, the mission had to be halted at night.

The canal was filled with plastic and hard waste and the rains were hampering the rescue operation, an official said. The canal passes through a 140-meter-long tunnel beneath the railway platform. Though scuba divers entered the tunnel and reached up to 40 metres, they could not dive further.

Ailing mother awaits son's arrival
Ever since the news of the accident broke, Joy’s ailing mother, Melhi of Malanjerivu House in Vadakara Marayamuttom, has been spending her time in prayer for the safe return of her son, who took up the job for a daily wage of just Rs 1,500.

Blame game
Meanwhile, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation and the Railways are engaged in a blame game, each accusing the other of responsibility for the accident.
Minister V Sivankutty, along with Mayor Arya Rajendran, visited the accident site. The mayor said reminders were sent to the Railways to clear the part of the canal that falls within its property limit. Sivankutty said the corporation and the government were ready to clean the tunnel, but the Railway refused to allow it. The mayor said that even though the tunnel does not come under the jurisdiction of the corporation, "we have decided to move forward with the rescue operation as we need to rescue the worker".

Corporation's argument: The civic body claims that it had already conveyed its willingness to clean the portion of the canal running under the railway station during a review meeting convened by Minister V Sivankutty. However, the Railways did not grant permission.

Railways' argument: The Railways assert that the responsibility of garbage removal lies with the local bodies concerned. They decided to undertake the work on their own after the civic body expressed its inability. They also maintain that no one was prevented from cleaning the area underneath the platform.