A nine-year-old girl was seriously injured after falling into an open manhole inside the ROF Ananda society in Sector 95 on Friday evening, police said on Sunday. The girl suffered serious injuries to her lower body, prompting residents to raise concerns over safety and maintenance at the residential complex.
The incident took place behind Tower F while the girl was playing on the society premises. According to police, one of her legs slipped into the nearly two-feet-deep manhole while the other remained above the ground. Residents nearby rushed to the spot and pulled her out.
The girl was taken to a nearby hospital by her family, where she was examined and treated, police said. An FIR was registered on Saturday at the Sector 10A police station against a third-party maintenance/estate management firm under Section 125 (acts endangering human life or personal safety) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). HT has not seen a copy of the FIR.
Residents alleged that the open manhole was not an isolated issue and that they had previously brought it to the attention of the estate manager’s office. They also claimed that a broken boundary wall in the society had been reported, but no action was taken.
“Even after the incident, the estate manager’s office has only covered the manhole using the cover of another similar pit in the society. The second pit, located in front of another tower, has merely been barricaded,” a resident said, requesting anonymity.
{{/usCountry}}“Even after the incident, the estate manager’s office has only covered the manhole using the cover of another similar pit in the society. The second pit, located in front of another tower, has merely been barricaded,” a resident said, requesting anonymity.
{{/usCountry}}The resident also alleged that when the girl’s father approached the estate manager’s office following the incident, staff members manhandled and assaulted him. The allegation could not be independently verified.
HT contacted the third-party maintenance/estate management firm for its response to the allegations, but it was not immediately available for comment and did not respond till the time of publication.
Police said further investigation into the incident and the allegations against the maintenance agency is underway.
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