Mumbai: Close on the heels of the toddler who remains untraced after falling into a gutter on the Goreagaon-Mulund Link Road on Wednesday, comes the news of a 12-year-old boy, who died after falling into a water-filled pit dug for the construction of the coastal road. The boy has been identified as Bablu Kumar Rampunil Paswan, a resident of the Nehru Nagar slums in Worli.
According to Worli Police, Bablu and his three friends, aged five and seven, had gone to the seashore to answer nature's call, close to where a pit had been dug for the coastal road project. Around 1.20 pm, Bablu is suspected to have slipped and fallen into the pit. His panicked friends raised an alarm and locals rushed to the spot. They managed to pull him out and rush him to Nair Hospital.However, doctors declared him dead on arrival.
"The pit was dug for the construction of the coastal road and it was barricaded with gunny bags and the authorities had also put a warning sign," said an officer from Worli Police station. "The pit was filled with water, since it is monsoon and around the time the mishap took place, it was high tide, so the pit was filled to the brim," he added. Worli Police have
registered an accidental death report (ADR) and are investigating the case. Ever since the death of gastroenterologist Dr Deepak Amarapurkar two years ago, after he fell into an open manhole on a flooded street, on August 29, 2017, the BMC has been facing flak and a barrage of public interest litigations over open drains, pits and manholes that can become deathtraps in the monsoon. Amrapurkar's body was found two kilometres away, almost four days later. The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena has said the Shiv Sena, which rules the BMC, should take responsibility for this situation. "When the Shiv Sena takes credit for every new construction (by the BMC) and achievement, why does it shy away from taking credit for creating such a mess in the city?" asked MNS spokesperson Sandeep Deshpande.
