CHENNAI: A 60-year-old loadman died after falling into an uncovered stormwater drain in Tiruvallur town on Saturday early morning. He was on the way back home from the Tiruvallur market where he was working, the police said.
The deceased has been identified as G Babu, a native of Valluvapuram, and was living with his wife and son. The police said Babu and his son go to the market together for loading or unloading work, almost everyday.
Sources said the drain near the district health office on Vadaku Raja Veethi, into which Babu fell, has water to the height of nearly two feet.
It took almost an hour for a passerby to notice him inside the drain and alert the Tiruvallur Town police. The police rushed to the spot and took Babu to Tiruvallur Government Hospital, where the doctors declared him dead. After informing his family members and completing formalities, the body was sent for postmortem.
The police said the area is not covered by CCTV cameras, and claimed Babu might have been intoxicated at the time, which would be confirmed after the postmortem report.
When contacted, Tiruvallur District Municipal Commissioner Thamodharan said the drain was meant to remain open and was not designed to be covered. He added the district health office, near the drainage, had been informed to take care of it. On being asked about the safety measures around the stormwater drain, he said necessary action would be taken.
However, senior health department sources said they had repeatedly raised complaints with municipal officials about the open drainage but received no response. “I myself have questioned and complained about the drain. Officials say it must remain open for it to work effectively. However, we ourselves arranged a slab to close it but it was open at the time of the accident. It is the responsibility of municipal officials to take care of it,” the sources said.
The police said a case has been registered under Section 194 of the BNS.