General
A 30-year-old labourer died after allegedly falling into an open sewer manhole in Rohini’s Begumpur area, according to a Times of India report, which further stated that the man could not be saved even after the police and fire department launched a rescue operation.
The incident occurred near Mahashakti Kali Temple in Sector 32, Rohini, on a vacant plot. The victim was identified as Birju Kumar, a resident of Bihar’s Samastipur, who was working as a labourer at an under-construction building.
A PCR call was received at Begumpur police station around 2.36 PM reporting that a man was missing and was suspected to have fallen into an open sewer, police told TOI.
Delhi Fire Services received a call regarding the incident around 7.45 PM, after which they pulled out the man in an unconscious state. He was then taken to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
Following the incident, DDA officials covered the open manhole to prevent further accidents.
“When police teams reached the spot, they were informed that Birju and friend Budhan Das had been drinking and were walking towards their jhuggi on Monday evening when the incident took place. The plot of land belongs to DDA,” a police officer said.
Birju’s friend told police that both of them had consumed alcohol and were walking in an inebriated state around 7.30 PM, adding that Birju suddenly lost balance and fell into the open manhole.
“The friend initially lost consciousness due to intoxication and later realised that Birju had fallen into the drain,” the police officer added. On Wednesday, Budhan Das informed another friend, Amir Hussain, about the incident.
As per the report, the manhole was about 14 feet deep and around two feet in diameter. After DDA and other agencies were alerted, an ambulance and water extraction equipment were rushed to the site. Rescue personnel launched a rescueoperation and eventually recovered Birju from the pit.
This comes days after a 25-year-old motorcyclist died after falling into a massive, “pool-sized” pit dug for construction work in West Delhi’s Janakpuri area. The victim was found at the bottom of the trench alongside his Apache RTR 200 bike near Green Valley Apartments on Joginder Singh Marg.
These cases are isolated, but somehow connected as a 27-year-old Noida techie, Yuvraj Mehta drowned in a similar waterlogged pit in Noida, raising urgent questions about the safety protocols followed by construction agencies in the capital region.
(With inputs from TOI)