It?s the pits

It took the army to rescue Prince. One wonders why the fire service in Haryana couldn?t do the job.

here are moments when a Nation-State coalesces into one single country. One such moment was when the whole of India was praying for the safety and recovery of a five-year-old who fell into a 60-foot uncovered pit dug for a tubewell in Haryana. As the nation celebrates his rescue, one is, however, left with a few uncomfortable questions. Foremost among them is whether such an ‘accident’ can recur. The short and bitter truth is that it can. Uncovered tubewell pits and manholes are a part and parcel of India’s urban and rural landscape. So, as of now, there is no surety that what happened to Prince will not happen to anyone else.

HT Image

While there may be voices who find the brouhaha over the rescue operation to be excessive — especially with TV channels asking their viewers to sms ‘prayers’ for the boy’s safety — without the extensive television coverage, the horrible fate of a child having to spend two gruelling days inside a pit would have gone unnoticed. As did a seven-month pregnant woman who fell into an uncovered manhole in Chandigarh last year. Or a 7-year-old who fell into a manhole while he was playing and lost his life in Ludhiana in 2005.

The total banality of such accidents occurring in 21st century India is quite staggering. These are accidents that, as any pedestrian or citizen knows, are completely avoidable. The rescue of Prince may have captured the imagination of a nation — as well as the notice of the Prime Minister. But there are countless other Princes, outside the purview of national television coverage (and, therefore, concern) who need to be protected.