BHUBANESWAR: A day after a minor boy died after falling into Gangua nullah, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation on Tuesday announced that it will carry out regular patrolling along major drains to ensure they are properly barricaded to prevent any mishaps during heavy rains.
Municipal Commissioner Vijay Amruta Kulange said that patrolling will be done by the BMC team as well as PWD for drains in their jurisdiction. The civic body will also inform them about the vulnerable points where barricading is required to prevent drainage mishaps.
Gautam Reddy, a five-year-old boy from Patitapaban Nagar in Ward 58, was swept away in the nullah after slipping into an open drain while attending nature’s call at around 5 pm on Monday. The boy was rescued from the nullah. However, doctors declared him brought dead in the hospital.
This is the second such incident in the city within a year. A 15-year-old boy from Satabdi Nagar had also died after falling into an open drain during monsoon in September last year. Taking lessons from the drain mishap, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation had decided to barricade all vulnerable drainage points along the city drains to prevent such incidents.
On the other hand, the Municipal Commissioner visited the service road in front of Iskcon where waterlogging during heavy rains has become a perennial issue. He discussed the matter with NHAI and PWD officials and proposed construction of another culvert to prevent traffic issues in the event of waterlogging at the spot.