A three-year-old boy is feared to have drowned after falling into an open storm water drain at Ambedkar Chowk in Malad East Wednesday night, even as the search operation for the minor continued on Thursday.
The incident took place around 10 pm on Wednesday.
"The boy, identified as Divyansh, was strolling outside his house when he fell into the drain near Goregaon- Malad Link road," an official of the Disaster Management Unit of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said.
"When the boy's mother could not find him, she raised an alarm. Thereafter, the footage of the CCTV camera installed near the building was checked, in which he was seen falling into the drain," he said.
The incident brought back bitter memories of the August 2017 mishap in which Dr Deepak Amarapurkar, a well- known gastroenterologist, died after falling into an open manhole while walking down a flooded street in south Mumbai during torrential rain.
The NCP and the Congress lashed out at the Shiv Sena- ruled Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and sought action against the civic officials concerned.
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Mumbai Mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar, who visited the spot, said a probe will be launched to find the reason behind this mishap and action will be taken against the officials responsible for it.
After the incident came to light, a search and rescue operation was launched. However, the rescue team has not been able to find the boy so far.
Due to the heavy flow of water in the drainage, the boy is feared to have been washed away, the official said.
The search operation is being jointly carried out by the BMC staff, Mumbai police, the fire brigade and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).
The civic body claimed that the cover of the drain was removed by some individuals.
The local residents said the drain had been open since a long time and they had requested the officials concerned to cover it, although there was no response from them.
"Early enquiry reports revealed that the cover of the drain was removed by some individuals. The CCTV footage is being checked and investigated to trace the concerned people," the BMC said in a tweet.
The mayor visited the site in the morning and reviewed the search operation. However, he faced the wrath of the locals.
Expressing grief over the incident, he said it was the responsibility of every citizen to ensure that the manholes or drains are covered, but if anyone find them open, they must inform the civic body immediately.
"Whether this drain was opened by the locals or by the civic staff is a matter of investigation," Mahadeshwar said, adding that sometimes locals remove the lids of the drains to dump something into it.
He appealed to the citizens not to open the covers of manholes or drainages in any circumstances, and added that said people should co-operate during such incidents.
"An investigation will be launched to find out the reason behind this mishap and officials responsible for it will face action," he said.
The BMC has also appealed to the people to immediately report to it if they come across such open drains or manholes they should inform on helpline number 1916, ward control room numbers or its twitter handle.
The father of the toddler blamed the civic administration for the mishap and demanded an immediate probe and severe punishment for those responsible.
Hitting out at the BMC, NCP chief spokesman Nawab Malik said such incidents were taking place due to the "negligence" of the civic body.
He demanded that a case be registered against the guilty concerned under IPC section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder).
"A case should be registered against the guilty officials concerned under section 304 of the IPC...plastic manhole cover used by the BMC gets washed away. Such incidents are taking place due to the negligence of the corporation," Malik said.
Another senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar also held the BMC responsible for the incident, while its Maharashtra unit chief Jayant Patil asked the civic body whether the value of human life has reduced to "zero".
Patil also asked why the ruling party (Shiv Sena) doesn't pay attention towards such incidents seriously.
The Congress demanded that an offence be registered against the BMC.
"Several hours have passed, but the civic officials and the fire brigade have not been able to trace the child. Mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar was not even aware of the tragic incident," Charan Singh Sapra, Mumbai Congress vice president said.
Former Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam slammed the Shiv Sena saying the party cannot even cover the manholes.
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