PURI: A man died after accidentally falling into an open drain along Badadanda near Gajapati Nagar within Kumbharpara police limits here on Tuesday.
Police identified the deceased as Pradipta Choudhury, a milk vendor from Gajapati Nagar. The incident took place at around 9 am.
Sources said Pradipta was reportedly urinating in the drain when he accidentally slipped and fell inside. His head got stuck in the thick sludge deposited in the drain due to which he was suffocated to death.
Locals present on the spot raised an alarm and informed the local police. Soon, fire services personnel reached the scene and brought Choudhury out of the drain. He was rushed to the district headquarters hospital where doctors declared him dead.
Police said a case has been registered in this connection and further investigation is underway.
The incident sparked outrage among local residents who blamed the Puri municipality for the mishap and demanded stringent action against the staff who had failed to cover the drain.
“Following reports of cattle and bulls getting killed and injured after falling into open drains, slabs were fixed on some portions of the drains in the town. However, large parts of many drains are still uncovered. The civic body has grossly neglected its duty putting the lives of residents in danger,” alleged Prasanna Mahapatra, a local.
The residents also demanded a compensation of `20 lakh for Choudhury’s family.
Puri collector Siddharth Shankar Swain said the tender process to fix slabs on all open drains of the town will be completed by December 30. Besides, efforts will be made to ensure coordination between authorities of Puri municipality and the national highways for covering other major open drains.