VILLUPURAM: A 13-year-old girl drowned in an uncovered pit, which was dug up to repair a water pipeline at Kattuedayarpalayam near Tirukoilur, on Sunday.
According to sources, A Anandhavalli, studying class VIII in a government high school, had gone to a farm to help her mother Chinnapillai, a labourer, on Sunday. In the evening, she went to drink water from the pump in a nearby land.
Since she didn’t return for long time, Chinnapillai went in search of her. The woman thought that Anandhavalli might have gone home. But, she was not at home either.
On Monday afternoon, people saw Anandhavalli’s body floating in the pit near the farm. Chinnapillai and her husband Ezhumalai rushed to the spot with villagers and fished the body out. Based on information, Rishivandhiyam police arrived and sent the body to the Government Medical College Hospital in Mundiampakkam for an autopsy.
After that, police registered a case based on the complaint received from the VAO Thennarasu and a probe is on. They suspect Anandhavalli might have accidently fallen into the pit and got stuck in the sludge at the bottom, and met with death.
Villagers complained that the pipeline carrying water from Sundaresapuram joint water project near Tirukoilur got damaged in many places. A few weeks ago, workers had dug up the ground and plugged the leakage and for inspection, they had not covered the pit, which was over 10 feet deep and full of rainwater.Anandhavalli’s relatives blamed the TN Water Supply and Drainage Board for the death and demanded a compensation of `5 lakh.