Child falls in drain, dies; no one owns up

Negligence by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) led to the death of a 10-year-old boy who fell into a 40-foot open manhole in Dwarka on Tuesday. Nand Kishore was a resident of Vijay Enclave.

Negligence by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) led to the death of a 10-year-old boy who fell into a 40-foot open manhole in Dwarka on Tuesday. Nand Kishore was a resident of Vijay Enclave.

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The DJB is responsible for handling the sewage system but had outsourced it to private firm Sudhir Electrical.

Police said Kishore had gone to the DDA sewage pumping station in Dwarka Sector 7 with his friend Rahul to meet Rahul’s uncle, Sanju, a pump operator.

Kishore had reportedly gone to answer the call of nature near the manhole. When he did not return, Rahul went looking for him. “At first Rahul did not find him and I sent him again,” said Sanju. “He came back running and said Kishore had slipped into the manhole.” The fire station and police were informed.

Power went off for about an hour when rescue workers were pumping out the water. The generators were also not working. Kishore’s swollen body was fished out three hours later.