Ludhiana: Man, 2 kids fall in Giaspura manhole left ‘uncovered’, injured

Onlookers rushed to their aid, using a ladder to rescue the trio from the 12-foot-deep manhole. The victims sustained minor injuries and were taken to a nearby clinic for first aid.

A man and his two children had a narrow escape when their bike skidded into an open sewer manhole at Eastman Chowk in Giaspura on Tuesday afternoon. The man, taking his children home after school hours, lost control of the bike while passing through that spot, resulting in the mishap due to the uncovered manhole in the middle of the road.

A CCTV grab shows the victims seconds before falling into a manhole in Giaspura, Ludhiana, on Tuesday. (HT photo)

Onlookers rushed to their aid, using a ladder to rescue the trio from the 12-foot-deep manhole. The victims sustained minor injuries and were taken to a nearby clinic for first aid. The entire incident, captured on CCTV, quickly went viral on social media, sparking outrage among residents.

Locals blamed the Municipal Corporation (MC) and its contractor for negligence. “Why wasn’t proper barricading placed around the manhole? What if this had happened at night?” questioned a resident.

The road is under construction in the area and the MC’s operation and maintenance cell is reportedly raising the level of manhole covers. Residents allege that safety measures, including barricading, were ignored.

MC executive engineer Parshotam Lal, acknowledged the incident, said, “The contractor claims barricading was in place, but we will investigate. A notice will be issued and the contractor will be warned to ensure such negligence does not occur in the future.”