HYDERABAD: An open stormwater drain claimed the life of nine-year-old girl Mounika at Kalasiguda in Secunderabad on Saturday morning allegedly due to the negligence of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) authorities.
Though it was raining heavily, Mounika, who was in her fourth standard, reportedly stepped out of her house with her brother who is differently-abled to buy a milk packet at around 7:30 am. Mounika’s brother got stuck in the stormwater drain which is under repair. The little girl, who panicked watching her brother’s helplessness, tried to rescue him by stepping into the gushing water and was washed away.
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Narrating the incident, Vasu, the father of the girl, squarely blamed the civic body authorities for her death. He observed that had there been a cover on the SW drain, his daughter would have been alive.
“My daughter went to bring milk in the early hours on Saturday. There is an open drain in the middle of the road. First, my son got stuck in the stormwater drain. While trying to save him, my daughter slipped into it. On being alerted by a milk supplier, we rushed to the spot and informed the police. After 30 minutes of operation, we were informed that my daughter was found dead half a kilometre away in the nala,” Vasu said choking back his tears.
According to an eyewitness, Nellutla Kavitha, Mounika was desperate to save her brother but unfortunately fell into the nala and was washed away. “We searched for her for a long time but could not rescue her. By the time we found her she was already dead,” she said.
Traders removed barricades put up by GHMC, says Mayor
Hyderabad Mayor Gadwal Vijayalaxmi who visited the spot said that road repair work was going on in the area and workers have cordoned off the work zone with barricades. Unfortunately, some shopkeepers had removed the barricades as they came in the way of their business which led to the tragedy, the Mayor said. The Mayor warned that notices would be issued to those who had removed the barricades causing the tragedy.
Mounika’s tragedy comes just a couple of days after another girl lost her life while sleeping when a wall collapsed near her home and the asbestos roof came crashing on her. Local authorities were alerted about the incident, the Disaster Response Force (DRF) team and police from Mahankali Police Station rushed to the spot and launched a search for Mounika.
A few hours later, the body was traced near a major open nala at Park Lane, Secunderabad, a few hundred metres from the incident spot.
2 GHMC officials suspended
The Mayor met the parents and expressed her condolences. Later, she announced the suspension of two officers, Assistant Engineer Tirumalaiah and work Inspector (outsourcing) B M Hari Krishna for their alleged negligence.
“The loss of a young life in the tragic Kalasiguda drain is very unfortunate. I visited the family of the deceased girl and announced ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh. I have directed officials to take action against those responsible for this tragedy and submit a report. Our commitment is to ensure that such incidents never recur. The government will support the family,” she said.
Inquiry ordered
Executive Engineer (PH) Division No 17, Khairatabad Zone, R Indira Bai has been instructed to conduct a detailed inquiry into the incident and submit a report to GHMC Engineer-in-Chief Md Ziauddin within 10 days for taking further action