10-year-old falls into open drain near Mumbai, rescued

The boy fell into the open drain in Vasai on his way to cricket practice at Chimaji Appa Ground on Tuesday.

A ten-year-old boy fell into an eight-inch drain, covered only by an unhinged iron slab, in Vasai on Tuesday morning. The boy, Atulya Pednekar, was rescued by a local.

Atulya Pednekar (HT)

The boy’s mother and the man who rescued him said the drain should have had a hinged lid and alleged that the contractor merely put an iron slab to cover it. As of Thursday, the slab at the spot had still not been replaced. Locals have fenced the area with dried branches to prevent another such incident.

The incident took place when Atulya, along with his mother, was on his way to cricket practice at Chimaji Appa Ground. When Atulya stepped on to the slab, it slipped under his weight and he fell in. His mother raised an alarm and Rajaram Babar, a resident of Manickpur, who was on his way home, rushed to their help. He leaned into the drain and pulled Atulya, waist deep into muck and garbage, out. He suffered minor bruises and was given first aid.

B G Pawar, commissioner of Vasai Virar Municipal Corporation (VVMC), said an inquiry has been initiated and appropriate action will be taken once they receive the report. Varsha Patil, corporator from the area, said the civic work had been done in 2014. Defending the contractor, she said the lid had been secured with iron hinges. Scrap vendors who sought to sell the slab unhinged it but abandoned it at the spot, she said. This is not the first instance of alleged negligence by civic officials in the city. On April 7, an 8-year-old boy died after drowning in a civic pool at Krishna Township. The lifeguard was allegedly drinking liquor and not present at the site. Four people, including the lifeguard and contractor, were booked.