PUDUCHERY: A six-year-old boy had a narrow escape after slipping into a manhole covered with a plastic sheet on Badar Sahib Street in Puducherry. A CCTV video capturing the boy slipping into the manhole has gone viral on social media.
The boy V Praveen (6) is a Class 1 student of CM Ashraff Government Primary School. He was accompanied by his classmates and followed by his mother V Lakshmi. The plastic sheet tore as he stepped on it, and Praveen fell into the drainage canal.
Lakshmi acted swiftly, rescuing him before he could drown in the sewage water. “No one is here to help me. He narrowly escaped due to my timely action. If he had gone down and ingested the sewage, he might have faced serious health issues,” Lakshmi said.
Sources claimed that the lid of the manhole on Badar Sahib street was damaged, and locals had covered it with a plastic sheet, placing bricks on top. People from the neighborhood said the manhole has been overflowing with sewage for the past three months. Despite several complaints to the civic authorities, no action was taken, and officials did not visit the site.
Former MLA A Anbazhagan (AIADMK) and current MLA Annibbal Kennedy (DMK) had a heated argument on the spot regarding the lack of action despite complaints. Anbazhagan questioned Kennedy about the negligence and condemned the responsible officials. Boy’s relatives also joined the argument.
Officials attempted to temporarily cover the manhole with a concrete slab, but Anbazhagan insisted on placing a permanent lid. Officials agreed, initiating immediate work. Afterward, both Kennedy and Anbazhagan left the scene.